As the holiday e-commerce surge ramps up this year, the airfreight ecosystem in the Americas is seeing a major operational shift: increased reliance on regional airports to absorb overflow, charter surges and specialised mail flows. For cargo executives, understanding how the “handoff” from the big gateways to regional relievers is playing out will be key to winning time-sensitive fulfillment this time of the year.
Volume pressures mount on major hubs
Air-cargo volume in the US continues to grow, but activity remains concentrated. A recent US Government Accountability Office report found that “about 50 airports handled more than 90 percent of all domestic and international air cargo volume that arrived at and departed from US airports from 2004 through 2023.”
Hubs like Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Miami International Airport (MIA) and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) remain core nodes. According to a 2025 update, LAX and ORD continue to feature in the top 10 US freight airports, supported by integrators and strong e-commerce demand.
What’s new is the strain. e-commerce volumes, coupled with tighter ocean availability and compliance burden, are forcing hubs to seek relief channels. The result: a deliberate “handoff” strategy, where large gateways focus on high-density flows and international connections, while regional and second-tier airports pick up last-mile, decant, charter and overflow traffic.
The rise of second-tier gateways
Regional airports are transforming into critical “relievers”. Airports that were historically passenger-centric or regionally focused are now building infrastructure, ramp space and logistics partnerships to tap holiday-ecommerce charters, air-parcel spikes and overflow freight.
Ontario International Airport (ONT) in Southern California reported cargo volumes up 8 percent in the first nine months of 2025, signalling its growing role in freight
Greenville‑Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) opened a 110,000 sq ft cargo facility capable of handling three Boeing 747-8 freighters simultaneously, a clear signal of its ambitions in freight and cross-border logistics. Others such as Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) and Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) are frequently cited in studies of cargo-focused airports that grew fastest during pandemic and post-pandemic e-commerce expansions.
This shift offers some operational advantages: better apron availability, less passenger disruption, lower cost per tonne, and faster ground-turns.
How the hand-off works operationally
Cargo executives should expect several patterns:
Pre-positioning with overflow routing: Large hubs remain primary arrival points for international freighters. When they hit capacity, regional airports take on the overflow.
Charters routed to relievers: For holiday surges and urgent replenishment, regional airports serve as flexible charter gateways with lower slot constraints.
Mail/parcel hubs shift outward: Hubs near urban-industrial clusters gain strategic value. ONT (close to Inland Empire) and GSP (serving the US Southeast logistics belt) benefit from proximity.
Inter-hub coordination: Freight may arrive in LAX or ORD, be sorted, then trucked for final flight from a nearby reliever airport. This hybrid model improves resilience.
What this implies for holiday 2025
Capacity planning must factor in secondary gateways. Build routing plans that include regional airports as contingency gateways.
Visibility into ramp availability matters. Many regional airports have less-mature cargo ecosystems; securing slots and truck linkages early is key.
e-commerce demand drives non-standard flows. Last-minute replenishments and charter bursts mean forwarders need flexible options beyond major gateways.
Geographic diversification supports risk mitigation. Relying solely on major hubs exposes operations to congestion. Having reliever airports spreads risk.
Data-driven routing wins. Research confirms that e-commerce logistics favour airports integrating air cargo carriers, frequency, proximity to logistic parks and urban demand.
Final word
This holiday season isn’t just about more parcels, it’s about more strategic routing. Large gateways will anchor volume, but operational agility hinges on regional networks stepping up. The “great holiday hand-off” from major hubs to regional relievers could become the defining choreography of peak-season success. Ensuring routing strategy, ramp-space contracts and logistic partnerships engage both hub tiers will make the difference between a smooth operation and backlog.
