The amount of cargo moved at the Lehigh Valley International Aiurport in 2016 increased by 165.7 percent over the year before.

The Lehigh Valley has been featured in a 24-page feature in American Way, the in-flight magazine of American Airlines, the largest airline in the world. Below is a portion of a story called “Global Impact,” which highlights the various regions, companies and economic trends of the Lehigh Valley. This particular excerpt focuses on region’s logistics and e-commerce sector. The full story and the rest of the Spotlight Lehigh Valley feature can be found online here.

The Lehigh Valley’s proximity to such major metropolitan areas as New York City and Philadelphia, plus available land and established infrastructure, has put the region front of mind for those in the rapidly growing e-commerce industry.

In recent years, it has witnessed an escalation in warehouse and distribution center development, with some of the nation’s most recognizable logistics companies increasing their footprint in the market, while employment in the sector has grown to more than 25,000—close to Bethlehem Steel’s post-war peak.

For further evidence of these trends, look no further than Lehigh Valley International Airport, where the amount of cargo moved in 2016 increased by 165.7 percent over the year before, and is which now responding with further capital improvements to take advantage of these opportunities.

“We can be very competitive for access and operations in the long term,” says Charles Everett, executive director of the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, whose organization already has a regional economic impact in excess of $500 million annually.

“We certainly have a long enough runway and we have available land,” Everett said. “We are ready, willing and able to build hangar facilities, to build warehouses and to partner with those that want to do business here.”

Visit here to read the rest of this story and to download the rest of the Spotlight Lehigh Valley feature in American Way.