Jun 16, 2008 6:17 pm US/Central
More Arrivals OK'd For O'Hare Airport
Airport Expansion Continues On Schedule; Moves Together Could Save Millions In Fuel Costs
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
-
-
Passengers crowd O'Hare Airport during the 2007 holiday rush. Removal of caps on the number of flights that arrive there, along with airport expansion, are expected to reduce stress, delays and wasted fuel.
CBS
Federal caps on the number of arriving flights at O'Hare Airport will end this fall. As CBS 2's Mike Parker reports, that move comes just weeks before O'Hare is scheduled to open a new runway.
Work on the new north runway is moving right along, seemingly right on schedule to open on November 20. In addition to the runway, a new north air traffic control tower will open for business.
It couldn't come along at a better time.
The Federal Aviation Administration and Mayor Richard M. Daley revealed Monday that on October 31, the FAA will lift its limitations on flights going into O'Hare.
"It's a great day when a plan comes together and I'm here today to say that the City of Chicago has really outdone itself when it comes to boosting capacity," said acting FAA administrator Robert Sturgell.
Four years ago, because of increasing flight delays at O'Hare, the FAA put a cap on the number of arrivals. Now, with the new runway, four to five additional arrivals per hour are being OK'd.
This should make the airport a lot less stressful for airline passengers. Even without the new construction, on-time departures have already improved 10 percent.
"That's a lot of time saved and lot less fuel burned," Sturgell said.
"You have to have the vision," Daley said. "If you don't, then by 2014, this airport will be old. This airport will not have the capacity."
When the full airport project is done in 2014, more new runways and a new west side terminal are expected to reduce delays even more dramatically.
If fuel prices are still high by then, the airlines may well save $400 million a year in fuel costs.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Celebrity Watcher: Real Or Fake?
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
