NEW YORK: A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) facility at the airport opened at 11 a.m. Friday morning. No international commercial flights are allowed with the designation, only business-related personnel with up to 20 passengers, or cargo.
“This additional dimension — international status — can only add horsepower to what is already a powerful engine of commerce in northeast Wisconsin,” said Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson. “Our business community is now more directly linked to their international counterparts and the door is open to a world of possibilities.”
The Appleton International Airport marks the fifth international airport in Wisconsin, joining Green Bay, Kenosha, Milwaukee and Racine.
The new 3,200-square-foot facility includes a customs processing center, a 20-seat waiting room and a walk-up window for passengers or the public to ask questions of the customs agent. One customs agent will staff the facility from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Airport Director Abe Weber said projections show 75 to 100 aircraft using the airport in its first year as an international airport. Already two planes from overseas will land in Appleton this weekend, he said.
Weber hopes the number of international flights will grow in the coming years by heavily marketing its international status.
