Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced May 14 that the City
Council Aviation Committee will take up approval of a major air freight
terminal expansion at O’Hare on its June agenda. The city’s aviation department
has selected Aeroterm, a private developer of ten million square feet of
airport freight facilities at 120 different locations, to build the new 840,000
square foot aircraft ramp served freight terminal on former Air National Guard
property on the O’Hare grounds. The proposed new facility will just about
double O’Hare’s air freight capacity, will carry the first LEED certification
for privately developed air freight terminals, and will be capable of handling
the new generation Boeing 747-800 aircraft.
Aeroterm is investing $125 million of its own
capital into the project, with the City of Chicago providing an additional $62
million from airport fee revenue to the construction cost, plus the land
acquired by the City from the Defense Department in 1996. The project is
expected to directly create 1,200 construction jobs and another 1,200 permanent
jobs at the new fright facility. The first phase of the new terminal is
expected to open next year, with completion of the entire 840,000 square feet
within the next ten years. Economic activity generated as a result of this
expanded capacity is predicted to create another 10,000 indirect jobs in the
Chicago area economy.
Aeroterm already operates about one million square
feet of freight terminal capacity on the O’Hare airport property. O’Hare handles
1.5 million tons of air freight annually, or about 10% of all US air cargo. Chicago
three area airports generate $45 billion in annual economic activity, and
produce 540,000 jobs in the metropolitan area. Chicago Aviation Commissioner
Richard Rodriguez points out the importance of air freight in the announcement
of City Council action on the O’Hare air cargo expansion: “Air cargo is of
prime importance to the economic vitality of our city, region and state. This development
will approximately double O’Hare’s cargo capacity and strengthen our leading role
as a national and international air freight hub.” O’Hare’s position as part of
the Port of Chicago’s foreign trade zone will enhance Chicago’s position in the
overseas import and export markets, particularly for consumer electronics, and
perishable goods like produce and flowers imported from overseas. Aeroterm
President and CEO John Cammett responded to Mayor Emmanuel’s announcement, “We
are honored to be selected and entrusted by the City as the developer of this
high profile project and look forward to growing our established and highly
regarded relationship with the City and the O’Hare air cargo community. We
recognize and value the importance of this project and underscore the City’s
priority of expanding O’Hare’s cargo infrastructure and improving its
efficiency.
