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Gary/Chicago International Airport | |||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | Chicago/Gary Regional Airport Authority | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | |||||||||||||||
| Location | Gary,Indiana,U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1954; 71 years ago (1954)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 597 ft / 182 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 41°36′59″N087°24′46″W / 41.61639°N 87.41278°W /41.61639; -87.41278 | ||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||
| Maps | |||||||||||||||
 FAA airport diagram | |||||||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics | |||||||||||||||
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| Source:Federal Aviation Administration[2] | |||||||||||||||
Gary/Chicago International Airport (IATA:GYY,ICAO:KGYY,FAALID:GYY) is a joint civil-military public airport inGary, inLake County, Indiana,United States. It is three miles northwest of the city center[2] of Gary, and 25 miles (40 km) southeast of theChicago Loop. It is operated by the Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority, which was created by an interstate compact between Gary, Chicago, and Indiana.[3] Nearby highway connections includeI-90,I-80,I-94,I-65 and theChicago Skyway.
Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 4,353 passenger boardings (enplanements) incalendar year 2008,[4] 1,633 in 2009 and 2,143 in 2010.[5] It is in theNational Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, whichcalled it anon-primary commercial service airport based on enplanements in 2008 (between 2,500 and 10,000 per year)[6] but would be categorized asgeneral aviation based on enplanements in 2010.
Gary/Chicago bills itself as the "third airport" for theChicago metropolitan area, supplementing Chicago's major airports,O'Hare andMidway.[7] Gary/Chicago Airport has been designed with an eye towards growth and the administration is courting airlines aggressively. Numerous businesses, includingBoeing,Menards andWhite Lodging Services, base their corporate aircraft here. ANational Guard installation has been built.
Federal funds were secured in January 2006 to move railroad tracks away from the northwest corner to allow extension of the main runway to 9,000 feet, as well as add gates to the existing passenger terminal building. The recent creation of the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority is expected to draw more state and local dollars for infrastructure improvements and additions.
Expanding Gary/Chicago Airport is an alternative to constructing anew airport nearPeotone, Illinois, 30 miles south of Chicago.[citation needed] One advantage of expanding the Gary airport is its proximity to downtown Chicago. This plan is backed by themayors of Gary and Chicago, while theIllinois state government is in favor of construction at Peotone. Tax revenues from a new airport at Peotone would go to the Illinois state government, while those from an expanded Gary airport would go to a regional airport authority and thus to the cities of Chicago and Gary.
A long-standing proposal to turn the Gary/Chicago International Airport into Chicago's third major airport received a boost in early 2006 with the approval of $48 million in federal funding over the next ten years.[8] Expansion plans include a new multi-level Intermodal Terminal combining three modes of transit – passenger rail, passenger vehicles and air travel. The rail system is designed to combine both commuter and high-speed lines.[9]
High tension power lines along the west end of the airport are buried. A definitive agreement has been reached with the railroads that will allow relocation of elevated tracks currently blocking the west end of runway 30.[10] Completion of these projects was required to make way for a lengthening of the main runway.
On the afternoon of March 22, 2013, theFAA threatened to close the airport'scontrol tower, along with other airports in Illinois as a part of FederalBudget sequestration in 2013.[11] However, Allegiant Air planned to keep flying to Gary, resuming in May.[12] The closure did not happen as planned.[13]
The construction of the northwest extension of runway 12/30 from 7,003 to 8,859 feet was finally completed and opened for service on June 25, 2015.[14]
Gary/Chicago International Airport covers 763acres (309ha) at anelevation of 597 feet (180 m) abovemean sea level. It has twoasphaltrunways: 12/30 is 8,859 by 150 feet (2,700 x 46 m) and 2/20 is 3,604 by 100 feet.[2]
In the year ending December 31, 2022, there were 114 aircraft based at this airport: 39 single-engine, 9 multi-engine, 53jet, 6helicopter, and 7 military.[2]
The airport is also home to an Army Aviation Support Facility supportingUH-60 Blackhawk helicopter operations of theIndiana Army National Guard as well as an additional collocated Army National Guard Armory supporting additional Indiana ARNG units and personnel. The installation is located on the site of a formerCold War-era ArmyNike missile battery.[15][16]
An ex-US AirwaysBoeing 737-400 is stored at the airport. It is owned by theIvy Tech College and used for various types of training.[17]
The airport was once served byPan Am,Southeast Airlines,SkyValue Airlines,Skybus Airlines andHooters Air, with flights to cities such asHartford, Connecticut;St. Petersburg, Florida;Greensboro, North Carolina andMyrtle Beach, South Carolina. Prior to its bankruptcy in 2008,ATA Airlines planned turboprop service to severalIndiana cities by its subsidiary,Chicago Express/ATA Connection, but the service was never started asChicago Express Airlines was grounded in March 2005. Before ultimately choosing to serveChicago O'Hare International Airport in 2006,JetBlue Airways considered flights to Gary/Chicago.
Gary/Chicago was thehub for seasonal carrierSkyValue Airlines from December 2006 to April 2007.
Skybus Airlines served the airport until the airline folded on April 4, 2008. Between then and 2011, there were no scheduled passenger flights out of the Gary/Chicago Airport, but charter airlines frequently flew casino guests toAtlantic City,Harrah's Tunica, andBeau Rivage Biloxi.
On December 12, 2011,Allegiant Air announced it would begin service toOrlando Sanford International Airport two days a week beginning February 15, 2012. Allegiant Air had considered Gary/Chicago International Airport before, but aircraft operational limits resulted in the airline deciding against Gary until the runway expansion was completed.[18]
On May 24, 2013, Allegiant Air reported it was cancelling air service out of Gary because of low demand for the flights.[19] Airport officials said that passenger loads were consistently more than Allegiant Air's minimums, but Allegiant Air said that the flights did not meet its revenue model.[20] Allegiant Air's final scheduled flight from Gary was on August 10, 2013.[21] Since Allegiant Air ended scheduled flights, there has been no scheduled commercial passenger airline service out of Gary Airport.[22]
On May 13, 2020,UPS Airlines announced it was adding its express parcel services to Gary/Chicago International Airport using theAirbus A300 andBoeing 757 to and from Louisville International Airport, home to UPS WorldPort. Flights commenced on November 2, 2020.[23]
On September 14, 2022, the airport authority hired the consulting firm Mead & Hunt to perform the necessary steps to re-attract passenger service.[24] On July 18, 2023, the airport's executive director released plans for bringing back passenger service. Commercial flights were expected to resume in late 2023 or early 2024 but did not due to pilot shortage and aircraft delivery issues. According to the director, "...as soon as the industry catches up with aircraft deliveries, we'll see commercial service return here to the airport."[25][26]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aeronaves TSM | Guadalajara,Laredo |
| AirNet Express | Cleveland,Columbia (MO) |
| UPS Airlines | Chicago/Rockford,Hartford,Louisville |
Source:[27]
Chicago-basedBoeing selected the airport to permanently base its Midwest corporate jet fleet.[28]
For many years airplanes seen in theChicago Air & Water Show have flown from here, including theU.S. Air Force'sC-5 Galaxy and theF-16 flight demonstration aircraft of theU.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. Since 1999, the Gary Air Show has based its operations here as well.
TheSouth Shore Line commuter rail train serves the Gary/Chicago International Airport. The station, which is known asGary/Chicago Airport, is located near Second Avenue, approximately one mile (1.6 km) south of the terminal. Service runs todowntown Chicago.
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