Gary/Chicago International Airport broke ground Tuesday on a $26 million-plus project to enhance air cargo infrastructure, with no guarantees it will be able to attract more cargo airlines beyond existing tenant UPS.
The initial phase of a long-term cargo expansion includes a new concrete apron for three additional cargo aircraft, installation of a pipeline for jet fuel, a sanitary sewer system and a deicing facility, according to the airport authority. The second half of the initial apron expansion will be built when additional funding is identified, for a total of eight parking spots. When Phase 2 is complete at a later stage, there will be positions for 18 wide body aircraft, according to the airport’s master plan.
Gary/Chicago International Airport (GCIA) is a general aviation airport in Gary, Indiana, 25 miles south of downtown Chicago, that mostly functions as a destination for corporate jets and weekend aviators. Parcel carrier UPS signed a long-term lease and began cargo flights at GCIA in 2020. Officials hope to attract other all-cargo operators as freight demand in the Chicago metropolitan area grows and warehouses at Chicago O’Hare International Airport become more crowded.
So far, the air cargo industry has shown little interest in GCIA, but officials are laying foundational elements for a future logistics center to attract potential cargo users, while simultaneously supporting UPS.
GCIA gives UPS additional capacity in the Chicago area. The new apron will be on the west end of the runway, far from the temporary space UPS now occupies and where the master plan calls for a cargo terminal. UPS has room to load and unload two standard-size freighters at once. It currently operates one flight per day to GCIA with an Airbus A300, down from two a year ago, according to Flightradar24 data. The new apron will provide parking for extra aircraft, along with a small UPS office and a modular sortation center.
“We congratulate the airport on this important milestone,” said Jeff Simonic, UPS transportation president – Central Zone, in an airport news release. “We are excited about the new cargo ramp space and look forward to seeing it enhance the airport’s ability to accommodate future growth.”
First-phase enhancements are expected to be completed by October 2025, the airport said via email. Funding came from a variety of sources, including $14 million from the Federal Aviation Administration and $9.8 million from the state of Indiana.
Construction of the first phase of the apron project originally was slated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The new pipeline will connect the airfield to large capacity storage tanks at GCIA, eliminating the need to move fuel with traditional semi-tanker trucks. Officials said the new arrangement will reduce carbon emissions while lowering costs to users. The sanitary sewer line is designed to prevent untreated chemicals from the deicing pad from draining into local water supplies.
GCIA’s runway extends nearly 9,000 feet, the second-longest runway in the region after O’Hare, allowing the airport to handle larger, heavier aircraft.
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