Skybus out; dreams of cargo in at Gary airport

BY KEITH BENMAN, Times of Northwest Indiana
kbenman@nwitimes.com

The demise of Skybus Airlines and three previous ones serving Gary/Chicago International Airport have some officials rethinking the best use for Chicago's "third airport."

"I have been talking about cargo and freight and foreign trade zone at that airport for over 20 years, but no one listened to me," Mayor Rudy Clay said Monday. "Now people are listening."

Over the weekend, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley made similar comments, saying the future of the Gary airport lies in handling cargo from around the world, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune.

Clay said attracting passenger service remains No. 1 on the airport's agenda for now, but that could change once the main runway is expanded and the foreign trade zone is established.

His upcoming trip to China is aimed at attracting assembly plants to the prospective foreign trade zone, Clay said.

The cargo versus passenger issue has salted the airport debate for years. In 2005, Daley pointed out the airport could handle cargo from planes, ships and rail, something O'Hare and Midway airports can't.

Canadian National Railway's plans to make Kirk Yard just north of the airport a major rail interchange is also an opportunity to establish a major intermodal hub, said mayoral transportation adviser Adrian Muhammad.

"I think the Skybus issue presents the leadership of this city with an opportunity to think out of the box," Muhammad said.

The current rethinking of airport options is being prompted by Skybus Airlines' abrupt cancellation of all flights as of Friday night. It declared bankruptcy Saturday. It flew to Gary for just 23 days and out of its hub at Columbus for 11 months.

Gary Airport Director Chris Curry said the airport master plan provides for cargo handling, with new apron space capable of hosting limited cargo operations. Currently, the airport handles about 300 tons of cargo per year.

But the airport authority will continue to concentrate on attracting commercial passenger service, which is the focus of its master plan and the basis of the Federal Aviation Administration's approval of its $90 million runway expansion, Curry said.

"We will continue to market commercial air service for the Gary airport," Curry said. "That was always the plan previous to Skybus, during Skybus and after Skybus."

Also, supporting cargo is not cheap. The same airport that was the Gary destination for Skybus, Piedmont Triad International near Greensboro, N.C., is one year away from becoming a major hub for FedEx.

The airport authority there put up $65 million to pave the way for a third runway, while the state put up $52 million to move a major roadway. The FAA is putting up $124 million to build the runway and install improvements, while FedEx is putting up $300 million for its facilities.