Business View Magazine | December 2018

178 179 different. “We do have some competition about three and a half hours down the road in Minne- apolis/St. Paul, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is located south of us about three hours, so there are some passengers within our service area, which is about 700,000 in our MSA, that might frequent those airports if they find a better fare. We have approximately 1,500 seats per day for sale on commercial carriers, whereas Minneapo- lis/St. Paul probably has 55,000-60,000 seats per day available, so our seats tend to sell out really fast. Sioux Falls is very similar to Fargo– they’re probably in the 1,500-1,600 seats per day range. So, we look at them as being competitors on the commercial side and we do look to them as being competitors on the general aviation and corpo- rate aviation side, as well.” However, according to Jim Sweeney, President of the Fargo Jet Center, the Airport’s main FBO, Hec- tor International does have a counter argument to make. He says that Fargo is a perfect place for international aircraft arriving in the U.S., and then moving on to their final destinations, to stop, clear clude Dakota Air Parts International, which ships aircraft parts all over the world, and Spectrum Aeromed, which manufactures and distributes hospital beds that go inside all types of differ- ent aircraft and helicopters. So, we do have a lot of property that the FAA has identified as being non-aeronautical, revenue generating property and we are going to be looking for a developer to help us develop that property in the coming years so that we can attract more non-aeronautical activity on the airfield.” Over the past couple of years, the Airport’s cargo operations have been a major source of both traffic and revenue. “We have a large FedEx operation that started here about two years ago, with daily jet service to their hub in Memphis and other locations,” Dobberstein explains. “On Nov. 5, 2018, UPS launched daily cargo jet operation to Fargo with a number of feeders, as well. They’re in a temporary facility, but the goal is to have them in a new facility by the fall of 2020 in our cargo area. Right now, they’re expecting to establish a pretty large sorting facility and maintenance facility in addition to a permanent hangar. Both FedEx and UPS jets haul packages to Fargo that serve the entire state of North Dakota, and west central and northwest Minnesota. So, if you’ve ordered something on Amazon today, and you’re out in Crosby, North Dakota, your package is likely to be included on a jet that lands in Fargo.” While the Airport has a sizable advantage over its nearest competitors in the cargo department, Dobberstein admits that on the commercial, corporate, and GA sides, things are somewhat 0274_11-18 What’s your next move? We understand that timing is everything in business. You need a nancial partner that can keep up with your ambition. Whether you need a new construction loan, are tting up additional of ce space, or simply need a line of credit, start with us. Call, click or stop in today. 27 locations across North Dakota, Minnesota and Arizona (800) 359-8092 | rstintlbank.com HECTOR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PHOTO BY DAVE WALLIS