The facility anchors Alliance, a 9,600-acre international trade and e-commerce logistics complex located in north Ft. Worth. Most of the cargo traffic emanates from FedEx's Southwest Regional Hub, which ships more than 175,000 packages daily. Several of Alliance's e-commerce companies are now FedEx clients. AT&T Wireless, a FedEx client, reportedly has grown 600% since consolidating regional distribution centers into a national facility three years ago. Logistics Services estimates it ships 15,000 to 20,000 packages a day to on-line customers for same-day delivery.

Alliance Airport is the "world's first purely industrial airport," emphasizes Tim Ward, president of Alliance Air Services, the Hillwood subsidiary that manages the cargo facility. The direct access to air cargo service guarantees overnight delivery until 10:45 p.m., adding an estimated two hours to the business day, according to Ward. The airport ranking was accorded by an industry magazine.

Alliance has boosted its roster to nearly 100 companies, including 27 from the Fortune 500. In a little over a decade, the Alliance-based firms have invested $4 billion to build 15.2 million sf, creating 17,000 full-time jobs and generating $80 million annually in property taxes.