This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Nov. 4, 2011 - Officials at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport report today that the Chinese have cancelled next Monday's scheduled cargo flight -- the third such cancelled flight in a row.
A Lambert spokesman said that Chinese aviation officials blamed "declining volumes of cargo" being sent by China.
The cancellations mean that it was early October when the last cargo plane from China actually landed at Lambert.
About six weeks ago, the first such flight landed at Lambert with much fanfare, before a cadre of state and local officials and business leaders. Lambert's contract with China had called for at least a once-a-week cargo flight, although both sides have said they hope for more flights, should the cargo trade traffic warrant it.
The last arrival coincided with the ending of the Missouri General Assembly's special session, in which legislators failed to approve an economic development package that included $60 million in state tax incentives aimed at encouraging freight-forwarders to promote Lambert as a cargo site for overseas shippers.
Local officials say they suspect there is a link between the cancelled flights and the lack of legislative support, but Gov. Jay Nixon contends that wasn't the signal he received during his recent trade trip to China.
