Erlanger, KY (September 28, 2023) – When the Federal Aviation Administration announced a new set of safety management rules for airport construction, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) leaders knew they needed an innovative and affordable way to meet the FAA’s requirements.That’s why CVG is in the process of testing a cutting-edge, Artificial Intelligence-driven technology – powered by the sun.The Volan Positioning System, VPS, is a solar-powered wireless network that uses secure locators and beacons to precisely monitor airport construction workers and vehicles and alerts workers, escorts, and other airport officials if someone wanders too close to a runway, taxiway, or outside of their restricted area.“CVG Airport is a city within a city and provides an ideal location to serve as the VPS testbed. Spanning across 7,700 acres, CVG has an unrelenting commitment to safety and has always been on the front end of innovation and sustainability,” said Brian Cobb, Chief Innovation Officer of CVG. “We’re optimistic that VPS will enable us to comply with FAA rules by improving our span of positive control, while at the same time helping us save money by not requiring us to divert airport employees from other duties simply to monitor construction crews working near sensitive areas of the airport.”During the test, which kicked off in May 2023 and is expected to last roughly six months, construction workers are required to wear a badge-size VPS locator on a lanyard whenever they enter their predetermined work area. Locators are also installed on construction vehicles and equipment, like bulldozers and forklifts. VPS continually monitors the location of each locator, alerting workers, safety monitors, and operations if someone gets too close to a restricted area like an active runway or if someone steps out of their predetermined work zone.“One of the ways VPS saves airports money is because they can use fewer people for construction safety monitoring while increasing security and safety,” said Michael Betua, CEO of Volan. “It’s also incredibly easy and fast to set up; our technicians installed the entire system at CVG in hours, and it only took us thirty minutes to train the airport staff on how to use it.”[FULL PRESS RELEASE HERE](https://assets.ctfassets.net/38z8fjm5i4nh/3OBxOUqjRzSmwnkIdXBYjn/7bec2d180a74803f35c4726d3226e370/press-release_cvg-airport-testing-new-solar-powered-system-to-meet-faa_s-new-safety-requirements-_003_.pdf)

Cincinnati Business Courier / Chris Wetterich / September 22, 2023Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport improved its ranking in the annual J.D. Power survey of North American airports, beating other Ohio airports and finishing seventh among 16 other mid-sized peers in terms of traveler satisfaction.That’s up from its ranking of 13 out of 18 airports in the study last year, when it trailed both Columbus and Cleveland.Medium-sized airports included those with between 4.5 million and 9.9 million passengers per year.CVG scored 817 out of a possible 1,000 customer satisfaction points. The top medium-sized airports were Indianapolis, Southwest Florida and Ontario international airports. The average score in the category was 809.Earlier this year, CVG ranked as the second-best North American regional airport by London-based Skytrax, which also surveys passengers.Over the past 11 years, CVG ranked No. 1 seven times.[FULL STORY HERE](https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/09/22/cvg-improves-in-j-d-power-airport-rankings.html)

Air Cargo News / Rebecca Jeffrey / September 21, 2023IAG Cargo’s facility at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) has been approved to transport time and temperature-sensitive healthcare products.This “Constant Climate” station will facilitate the movement of pharmaceuticals that require time and temperature management between Cincinnati and London Heathrow Airport.IAG Cargo said the station will leverage the company’s network, which links six continents, to transport critical cargo such as vaccines, medicinal drugs and clinical trial medication around the world.The service is expected to be of special interest to pharmaceutical customers located in Ireland and India whose medicines frequently transit through London Heathrow to the US.The station brings the total number of approved IAG Cargo Constant Climate stations in the US to 21.[FULL STORY HERE](https://www.aircargonews.net/sectors/pharma-logistics/iag-cargo-expands-cold-chain-services-in-us/)

Cincinnati Business Courier / Chris Wetterich / September 21, 2023Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is expected to spend more than $196 million replacing one of its most important systems – the machines that move baggage throughout the facility to the aircraft.CVG’s board approved an eight-year $137 million contract with Beumer Corp. to build, install, operate and maintain the new baggage system, with the potential of another $59.4 million in extensions over a four-year period once the initial term runs out.The current system “has reached the end of its useful life,” said CEO Candace McGraw. “It was designed and built for a hub airport.”The new system will allow for every bag to be in its own tote, which allow airports and airlines to track them more efficiently.[FULL STORY HERE](https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/09/21/cvg-airport-baggage-system-contract-beumer.html)

Fox 19 / Stetson Miller / September 12, 2023WASHINGTON D.C. (WXIX) - Tri-State veterans and their guardians flew to the nation’s capital Tuesday as part of the Honor Flight service.Eighty-six veterans stepped off tour buses on Tuesday after flying in from CVG airport.They toured several national monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C., including the World War II Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Iwo Jima, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy memorials.[FULL STORY HERE](https://www.fox19.com/2023/09/12/86-tri-state-veterans-tour-monuments-memorials-dc/)

Cincinnati Business Courier / Liz Engel / September 11, 2023A route out of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport that’s been dormant since the beginning of the pandemic resumes service Sept. 11.Delta Air Lines will restart once-daily nonstop flights to Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), as of 6:55 p.m. Sept. 11. The return of the route was first announced in June, alongside Delta’s addition of seasonal service to Cancun, Mexico, which will run from Dec. 16 to April 6.Currently, American flies directly to Raleigh-Durham, while Frontier offers seasonal service.Delta’s flight leaves CVG at 6:55 p.m. and arrives at RDU at 8:22 p.m. The return flight leaves RDU at 7:25 a.m. and arrives at CVG at 9:05 a.m.Delta will fly the route using the CRJ-900, a regional jet with 12 first-class seats and 20 comfort-plus seats. CVG CEO Candace McGraw said RDU is among several destinations growing in demand. Raleigh, North Carolina's capital city, is generally considered a business market for regional travelers.[FULL STORY HERE](https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/09/11/delta-air-lines-cvg-rdu-air-service-new-flights.html)

Fox 19 / Megan O'Rourke / September 8, 2023HEBRON, Ky. (WXIX) - To casual observers, the scene at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport looked like the climax from a big-budget movie on Friday.The airport was full of emergency vehicles from dozens of Tri-State police, emergency and fire departments. With lights on and dozens of volunteer victims, over 80 mutual aid agencies were taking part in a mass casualty training exercise the airport regularly holds in case of a major incident.“We are practicing a very unfortunate circumstance,” said Mindy Kershner, senior communications manager with the airport. “Air travel is still very safe, but you always need to practice for the what-ifs.”The training was for a plane crash with dozens of injured victims. First responders tended to victims, taking some to a triage area before transporting them to area hospitals, which took part in the exercise.The drill took months to plan, Kershner said, along with hundreds of volunteers. She said cultivating relationships with Tri-State agencies and volunteers is the key to holding a successful exercise.“Building those relationships ahead of time, it’s really the most critical piece of all of this,” Kershner said.Kershner said departments are kept in the dark as much as possible and don’t know what to expect.“We try to keep it pretty vague,” Kershner said. “So then our first responders really need to jump into action and put critical thinking and life safety (training) into place.”[FULL STORY HERE](https://www.fox19.com/2023/09/08/cvg-holds-mass-casualty-training-exercise-friday/)

Cincinnati Business Courier / Meg Erpenbeck / September 5, 2023One of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport's newest carriers is extending service for two key destinations even as it ends three seasonal routes.Breeze Airways, which launched service at CVG in February, is now offering its flights to San Francisco and Charleston, S.C., through April 30, 2024. Previously, the flights were only available for purchase through January.[FULL STORY HERE](https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/09/05/breeze-airways-cvg-flights-april-2024.html)

Spectrum News / Sam Knef / September 1, 2023HEBRON, Ky. – One of the last places anyone wants to worry about any kind of suspicious activity is the airport. Luckily, airports have trained officers to prevent bad things from happening.The Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky International Airport employs some of the most energetic officers around with the strongest noses, too.Typically, police officers don’t place drugs in an airport but the training scenarios Officer Nick Ruffing and his partner take part in require it. And he needs to keep Brick’s sense of smell strong.“Brick really likes coming to work. All of the dogs at CVG get very excited to come here,” said CVG spokesperson Cassie Kiser.And as Ruffing put it, “Him being at work is his fun time. He does have a lot of fun at home. I have some kids that he gets to play with from time to time. But his fun time is here. We bring him out, we train with him.”Brick is a German shorthaired pointer who was born in Hungary, and trained up to be a narcotics detector. Ruffing has been working with his K9 companion for the last four years, and even takes him home at night.[FULL STORY HERE](https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/cleveland/news/2023/09/01/canine-officer-training)