Gary, IN Stakes Its Claim For Third Major Chicagoland Airport

Indiana officials announced earlier this week the US Department of Transportation is expected to approve $57.8 million in funds to expand and improve Gary/Chicago International Airport -- meaning Gary, IN may soon host the third major airport in the Chicagoland region.

"This is a day of celebration there because after a decade of trying, we will be announcing that the federal government has chosen Gary for the new Gary-Chicago airport for tens of millions of dollars," said Indianapolis governor Mitch Daniels in a Monday press conference, reported in the Chicago Tribune.

That comes as good news to state and city officials, who have sought for years to improve Gary's impact and image relative to its much larger neighbor. Those in Peotone, IL may not be as pleased, however -- as they are also being considered to host the airport.

"[Gary] will be a reality on the ground, capable of serving people's needs, and not just a cornfield someplace," Indiana Senator Evan Bayh said, referring to Peotone's bid for the airport.

Perhaps most importantly, Gary has geography on its side -- as the city is 15 miles closer to downtown Chicago than Peotone.

While GYY does not currently meet federal runway safety guidelines, the funds would help bring Gary up to those standards, as well as allowing improvements to GYY's terminal and other facilities to attract commercial airlines.

GYY has been without scheduled commercial airline service since Hooters Air temporarily halted its flights to the airport last year. City officials say that illustrious carrier is expected to resume service from Gary in March -- and they hope that's just a beginning.

In all, city officials have requested as much as $90 million over the next 10 years to make improvements needed to handle an expected threefold increase in passenger loads by 2012, according to the Tribune.

Expansion plans are also expected to bring as many as 300 jobs to Gary, at a time when the industrial city is combating unemployment rates as high as 16 percent.

For years, Chicago officials have debated the need for a third airport to handle overflow and relieve congestion at O'Hare and Midway airports. With recent issues at Midway -- and the lack of other relievers such as, say, Meigs Field -- that debate will likely focus on Gary.

FMI: www.airnav.com/airport/KGYY, www.hootersair.com