MONCTON — Regional truckers working the Greater Moncton International Airport could get a major boost in volume if the airport is successful in expanding its main runway to 10,000 feet.

The project, which includes the expansion of air cargo facilities, is the airport’s latest attempt to capture more of the region’s air cargo market. It would allow the airport to accommodate larger, wide-body aircraft.

According to the CBC, the move is an attempt to keep up with the Halifax Stanfield International Airport’s move to lengthen its longest runway and attract more airfreight from Europe and Asia.

Rob Robichaud, the airport authority’s manager, hopes to see construction begin next spring.

The airport’s longest runway is currently 8,000 feet, but the world’s largest freighter aircrafts need at least a10,000-ft runway.

With the new runway, Robichaud said he could market his airport as a convenient stop for air carriers to save time and fuel and then trucking goods to the U.S.

He added that a lot of airfreight in New York sits in customs for days while it only takes a day to get goods from Moncton to New York by truck.