INFRASTRUCTURE PRIORITIES ARE TAKING OFF. While all the pieces come together at Gary/Chicago International, Vicari notes that ongoing work has been underway over the course of the last 18 months to renovate the passenger terminal. “This has been a complete renovation for the parking lot, lighting, the front entry, the baggage handling system, the TSA baggage checkpoint, the hold room and its seating, the lounge, and passenger bridges.” “The only original facet in the building is the concrete floor and the steel structure,” he elaborates. “We also have two new corporate hangars under construction. One is a 47,000-foot hangar for a company that manages aircraft for high-net-worth individuals, and the second is about 25,000 square feet for an existing tenant that will be expanding its services.” This represents expansion at the eastern end of the airport. The larger hangar will be completed in October of this year, and the other is slated for completion in July 2026, Vicari highlights. Other capital improvement projects Vicari is in the process of completing are the installation of a sanitary sewer and a fuel pipeline that will feed the air cargo facility and will also serve the rest of the airport. The project remains in the design phase; however, Vicari points out, the airport has been awarded $9.8 million in funding to tackle this infrastructure upgrade. “We have also been updating our snow removal fleet to ensure that we meet the necessary response time for snow removal at the airport,” Vicari states. One of the more exciting infrastructure developments, Vicari notes, is the eventual addition of a new air traffic control tower. “We were one of 20 airports in the last round of terminal and air traffic control towers that were 7 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 08 GARY/CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
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