BWI struggles as international magnet

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - As the state of Maryland explores ways to fill the nearly 50 percent vacant World Trade Center in downtown Baltimore, area economists suggest that without the expansion of more nonstop international flights out of Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, the outlook is dim.

“The failure of the state to be able to recruit and retain a strong international presence is closely linked to the failure of BWI to offer nonstop international flights to major business hubs in Europe,” said Anirhan Basu, of the Sage Policy Group.

At present, BWI has nine international destinations, mostly to tourist sites. Only three destinations are major international business centers— London, Mexico City and Toronto. In comparison, Cincinnati's airport has 18 daily nonstop international flights to Rome; Paris; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Frankfurt, Germany; London; Mexico City; and most of Canada.

“BWI works continually with airlines to boost international opportunities, meeting with more than 30 airline carriers in marketing BWI as an international hub,” said Jonathan Dean a spokesman for the airport. “Last year, more than 675,110 passengers flew out of BWI on international flights, a 4.8 percent increase from the year before, and we are about to resume flights to Iceland this week and Greenland at the end of May.”

Despite these additions, the task has been quite daunting. For years the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development has struggled to promote Baltimore as a premier locale for international business, despite an aggressive marketing team and offices in China and other international locations, Basu said.

“The problem is that Baltimore’s economic history has focused on domestic trade, despite its natural resources, which includes the Port of Baltimore,” Basu said.

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World Trade Center nearly half empty

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“We have 11 offices in nine countries around the world,” said Nancy Wallace, director of International Operations for DBED. “In 2006, we presented to more than 200 companies in Latin America and we have had presentations in all of our offices around the world, and reached out to businesses in Italy and Turkey.”

“Last year we attracted 11 new international businesses to Maryland, and we are hoping to get 15 more this year,” she said. “On a monthly basis, we entertain two new companies a month.”

Basu is not sure what more the state can do.

“As economists, we had hoped the airport would have helped bring in more of an international presence,” Basu said. “The reality is that we have formidable competitors in Cincinnati, Dulles and Philadelphia and it will be difficult to wrestle away a market share from these incumbents.”

rchappelle@baltimoreexaminer.com

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