During a time where very little flying is permitted, Anchorage International Airport in Alaska is bustling. Not as much with tourists, but with cargo operations, making it the busiest airport in the world – on Saturdays.
‘Saturday’s a busy day for cargo operations, which is our bread and butter, but it’s also the slowest day for passenger service,’ said airport manager Jim Szczesniak to CNN.
For example, on Saturday 2 May Anchorage had 744 flight operations, while Chicago had only 579.
Passengers flights have nearly vanished across the world due to the global pandemic, according to Airports Council International’s annual report.
That’s not to say the birds of steel aren’t in the air.
‘We’re seeing an increased demand for cargo capacity,’ said Szczesniak. ‘And that’s primarily because a lot of the supplies for the fight against Covid in North America are produced in Asia.’
Szczesniak added that he thinks Alaska might just become a popular post-corona tourism destination. ‘You know, they tell you to stay six feet away from people. In Alaska you can come here and have a fantastic vacation and not be within six miles of somebody.’
Image credit: Instagram/paaq.aviation
