Quote:
Originally Posted by sentinel
Well, as for Gary, I'd rather have my state have the revenue, taxes, etc, than a neighboring state.
Rockford is already a well-known and busy airport, that probably doesn't need to be expanded now.
The location in Peotone (closer to Beecher, actually), makes sense not just for the proximity to industrial corridors in IN, as well as I-80, I-55, I-57, I-294, etc., but there is already a small airport there, and there is plenty of land to expand if needed. The SSA (South Suburban Airport) is nothing new, IDOT and the state have been working on it for years and years and years; you can even seen the latest master plans from 2016 that show a very clearly defined phasing of what may end up being a large national or even international airport:
https://www.southsuburbanairport.com/MasterPlan/MP-reports.htm
https://www.southsuburbanairport.com/MasterPlan/reports/ALP/14-ULT-ALP.pdf
Long story short, having a third major airport is never a bad thing, especially when it's located in or near the one area with the largest growth in our region (Will county). There's a strange phenomenon in the state of Illinois and even the Chicago metro area that growth and expansion is unnecessary, we're fine with what we have, and fuck the future. Even if we weren't in the middle of a plague, there will always be a need to fly, and it will keep growing and growing because people want to travel, good need to move around the world, so....why not? |
Illinois is not in a financial position to build a 3rd vanity airport, which has always been about enriching Springfield-connected construction firms and clout-heavy south side players. The airlines aren't asking for it, and that includes the cargo carriers, who are quite happy with MEM, CVG, and other regional airports with existing, underutilized infrastructure (CVG especially since DL barely has a presence there any more) and more accommodating, less burdensome regulatory and labor environments. They also have better weather, and cargo operations generate a fraction of the traffic and revenue that passenger carriers do. Cargo operators fly way less frequently than passenger jets (less runway/landing fees), don't have passengers (no revenue from ticketing fees and airport retail, parking, concessions, etc.), and don't require a huge presence in the terminal (no rent/lease revenue from operating gates, lounges, etc.). GYY and RFD are already Chicago's 3rd/4th airports.
EDIT: Additionally, RFD is already a major hub for UPS, and Amazon Air already utilizes the airport.
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