Developer Paul McKee, a man known to many for his secret Blairmont development plan for Old North St. Louis, is heading to China soon to lobby for Lambert Airport and his own 550 acres surrounding the airport to be used by the Chinese to distribute their goods in America, according to a story in today’s Post-Dispatch.

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport has never been a major cargo facility. In 2006, according to a trade group, it ranked 58th among U.S. airports in cargo traffic, compared to 33rd in passenger traffic.

Fleming notes that Lambert has excess capacity, good highway connections and lots of developable land around it.

Some of that land is controlled by McEagle Properties, which is building a 550-acre office and distribution center just east of Lambert. The warehouses and freight forwarders that would spring up around a cargo hub would be logical customers.

“Something like this could bring a tremendous amount of opportunity to the airport, and thus jobs,” said McEagle spokesman Dan Brungard. So McEagle Chief Executive Paul McKee is heading to China, too.

The jobs are what interests St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, who’ll also be making the trip, according to chief of staff Jeff Rainford.