Anchorage International Airport gets lots of cargo traffic as it is virtually the halfway point between the major exporters in Asia and across the Pacific Ocean to the big US hub cities where the imported goods are distributed. Every plane has a weight limit, so in order to maximize the portion of that weight allotted to valuable merchandise, the carriers only fill half the amount of gas they’ll need. They then make a pit stop in Anchorage to gas up for the second leg of their trip. Those gas (and often crew change) stops are the main reason why the Ted Stevens International Airport is now the third busiest cargo airport in the world.
Global cargo demand softened after the pandemic boom, but thanks to its geographic advantage, Anchorage traffic is down far less than other airports, as per a report.