Didn't They Used To Have One?

In a statement likely to cause renewed heartburn for those who fought so valiantly to save Chicago's Meigs Field, Acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell said this week the midwestern city will probably need a third major airport to handle future growth in the commercial and private aviation sectors.

The Associated Press reports Sturgell sees the need for as many as four new major commercial airports over the next 20-30 years. That compares to only two major commercial airports that have opened over the past 40 years: Denver International, and Dallas/Fort Worth International (which amounts to a net gain of just one additional facility, since DIA replaced the former Denver Stapleton Airport -- Ed.)

Chicago's geographic location near the population center of the US means the city is a prime candidate for one of those new airports... even over objections from local residents, environmentalists, and the NIMBY crowd. New York and Atlanta are also likely locations for new facilities.

"It takes a lot of local political will to move new runways and airports forward," Sturgell admitted.

A $15 billion expansion project now underway at O'Hare will result in new runways and greater capacity... but Sturgell believes that's just a stall, against forecasts of some 1 billion air travelers annually over the next decade. More air traffic means more airports.

Now, we realize comparing the former Meigs Field to a major commercial airport is a bit of a stretch... but it's hard to ignore the fact that, had Chicago Boss (er, Mayor) Richard Daley opted not to illegally bulldoze the GA airport in 2003... well, perhaps an entirely new airport would not have been needed, but perhaps the extension of an existing facility.

In that spirit, might we suggested a chunk of lakefront property, within minutes of the Chicago Loop, for the new airport Sturgell says may be needed. Hell, we might even be willing to call it "Daley International."

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.ohare.com