Gary Airport continues work to bring back commercial flights
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The executive director of the Gary/Chicago International Airport says he is confident that commercial passenger flights will return after more than a decade.
Dan Vicari told our partners at Lakeshore Public Media this week that the airport has been in regular talks with “a number of airlines.”
The airport lost service in 2013 after Allegiant Air dropped its flights to Florida. Officials had hoped to restart passenger service in recent months, but Vicari cited multiple challenges in the industry, including a pilot shortage and aircraft delivery issues, as reasons for the delay.
“So I think as soon as the industry catches up with aircraft deliveries, we’ll see commercial service return here to the airport,” Vicari said.
The airport this week broke ground on a $12 million hangar facility to be leased to Valparaiso-based Wingtip Aviation, which Vicari said would help with attracting passenger service.
“Every time you see these private jets take off, there’s a caterer that had provided catering for that,” Vicari noted. “There is aircraft detailing services. There’s administrative jobs within the facilities.”
However, a timeline for a potential announcement on passenger service was not given.