DHL donates abandoned Wilmington Air Park to Ohio county

GERMAN express delivery giant DHL has donated its former US air hub at Wilmington, Ohio to the surrounding Clinton County, reports DC Velocity transport newssite.

The donation to the Clinton County Port Authority (CCPA) ends another chapter in the airport's 40-year history and opens the road for the redevelopment of the 2,200-acre site, until now, the largest privately-owned airport in the US.

"We are pleased to accept this donation," said John Limbert, chairman of the CCPA. "But this is just the beginning of reactivating the air park. There is a lot of work ahead."

The deal involves the transfer of 1,500 acres in and around the air park, said Deutsche Post DHL and Clinton County in a joint statement.

The air park, which first belonged to the defunct Airborne Express, was taken over by DHL when it bought Airborne in 2003. Since, DHL has invested hundreds of millions to upgrade the facility.

Suffering US business losses, DHL ended its domestic US air and ground operations in January 2009, and now only offers international service to and from the US.
(Source:www.schednet.com)