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ROCKFORD, Ill. — Amazon announced plans Dec. 3 to expand its Amazon Air operation at the Rockford airport.

City aviation officials plan to spend $5.5 million to acquire 15 acres near Philadelphia International Airport as part of a plan to develop an airfreight complex serving a broad swath of the region.

Nearly 1.4 billion pounds of cargo made its way through Chicago Rockford International Airport in 2017 — a record that the airport has beaten by nearly 22% through the first 10 months of this year.

Area shoppers will want to purchase their holiday gifts earlier this year, as a major jump in online holiday shopping could complicate the delivery system.

The U.S. Postal Service said it expects to deliver nearly 15 billion pieces of mail and 900 million packages between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, according to a release.

The Port of Savannah continues to break records with more container cargo moved in October than ever before. Savannah handled 413,800 TEUs in October, the 24th consecutive month of year-over-year growth.

Avenger Logistics, a freight brokerage and logistics company created in 2015 by former Gold Bond Inc. owner Don Godsey, is likely to be a top local contender on the 2019 Inc. list after growing from $9 million in sales in 2016 to more than $60 million this year. The company expects to top $100 million in sales next year.

Amazon.com on Nov. 12 took delivery of the 40th and final plane in a lease deal for its expanding air-cargo operation. More may be on the way. A senior executive at an aircraft lessor said Amazon was shopping around for more Boeing 767 freighters and had put out a request for proposals for an additional six jets earlier this year.

The super ships are coming, and PortMiami — set in an aquatic preserve at the north tip of Biscayne Bay — says it needs to get bigger. While the scope of the work remains uncertain, enlarging the busy port just three years after completion of the previous $205 million “Deep Dredge” is sure to set off another skirmish over potential damage to sea life from digging up the bottom of the shallow bay.