Expert: It's a high mountain to climb

A cargo-only airport in Hazle Township, Luzerne County, has taken another step toward reality as the state's capital budget bill earmarked $250 million for the project.

Observers believe the project could promote economic development and create much needed jobs in the area, but the project still

"Cargo-only airports are a challenge, particularly greenfields," says John D. Kasarda, Ph.D., director of the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. "Getting regular air cargo service is very, very difficult even if you are in a dynamic area."

The only successful greenfield project - one where you construct an airport from scratch - of which Kasarda is aware is one built by the Perot Company in one of the fastest-growing economies in the nation located near Fort Worth, Texas.

"The cargo has to be there," says Kasarda. "Air cargo tends to be small, light, compact, high-value-to-weight, products; like micro-electronics, pharmaceuticals, medical components, aerospace equipment, fresh-cut flowers, fresh fish. You have to ask whether the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has that economic base that would provide the type of load that would fill the cargo planes to fly around the country and the world."