**Public-Private Airport Will Keep Chicago**

**On Cutting Edge of Aviation Industry**

*Experts Agree: Privatization Plan Makes Business Sense*

By Congressman Jesse L. Jackson Jr.

Published in B2B Magazine

Thursday, September 23,2004

Please dispel any preconceived notion you might have about a third
airport. The South Suburban Airport Commission\'s plan offers a dramatic
paradigm shift that, quite frankly, deserves the blessing of anyone
concerned about Illinois' economic future.

Our plan builds a right-sized airport \-- to be called Abraham Lincoln
National Airport \-- through an innovative public-private partnership.
Our plan, and only our plan, will attract popular low-cost carriers to
serve local residents, and anchor the local economy for a generation to
come.

You don\'t need to take my word for it. A recent State of Illinois study
concludes that building an airport with a public-private partnership is
more economical, practical, viable and necessary than anyone realized.

First and foremost, the airport can be built without public expense and
without public risk. Modeled after successful airports in Europe, Asia
and South American, it will be financed exclusively with private capital
\-- at a cost-savings of several hundred-million dollars.

Second, despite its small size, the proposed five-gate inaugural Lincoln
Airport is big enough to create 15,000 new permanent jobs in an area
that desperately needs them.

Here are 10 more reasons why Chicago's conscientious business and civic
leaders have enthusiastically embraced this concept.

\* The public-private partnership brings together the best of both
worlds \-- local governance and control, with private enterprise and
ingenuity.

\* Lincoln Airport gives the State a badly-needed port-of-entry for
low-cost carriers \-- the fastest growing segment of aviation. The
Federal Aviation Administration says the number of passengers on
low-cost carriers will double in 10 years. But Chicago has no place to
land them. O\'Hare is too expensive; Midway is at capacity. Airport
Business magazine recently featured our plan on its front page, calling
it \"the first airport designed and built specifically for low-cost
carriers.\"

\* Our developers are proven world-class airport builders. In fact, LCOR
and SNC-Lavalin own and operate airports in Paris, New York, Vancouver
and Malta. These consistently rank among the world's most cost-effective
and consumer-friendly airports. The companies were selected after a
rigorous worldwide search and competitive bidding process under State
law and with State approval.

\* The airlines will come if we price the airport right. LCOR and
SNC/Lavalin have longstanding relations with dozens of airlines. They
know the carriers. They know how to bring them here. And, under our
plan, securing airlines is their responsibility.

\* Perhaps the greatest asset of our plan is the huge benefits \-- \$750
million \-- it will bring to surrounding communities for off-site
infrastructure improvements. Because we use no federal dollars, excess
airport revenues can be used for off-airport improvements. Airports
built with federal funds (such as Will County\'s proposal) cannot take
revenues off-site. So, our proposal has money to pay for the needs of
the Iron-Ring communities, a new interchange on I-57, or a Metra line
extension to the terminal.

\* Lincoln Airport\'s innovative "common use" terminal is cheaper and
friendlier. Common use means the airlines share gates, check-in
counters, luggage carousels, etc. This greatly reduces costs, which
means lower prices for the traveler.

\* Likewise, our low-cost concept will attract cargo and overnight
delivery sectors.

\* A privatized Lincoln helps O'Hare expansion because we doesn't seek
or compete for federal money. Will County\'s finance plan finds them
competing with O\'Hare for federal funds.

\* Lincoln complements O'Hare or Midway. Its modest five-gate terminal
and start-small-grow-with-demand approach will allow Lincoln to serve
travelers who otherwise would be deprived affordable service due to
capacity constraints at existing airports.

\* Finally, this plans addresses the thorny issue of governance by
handing control to a public airport commission of like-minded mayors
from Will, South Cook and Kankakee counties. So far 32 communities have
joined. This broad coalition assures greater professional and freedom
from politics.

The question every business and civic leader must ask is this: Can
Illinois afford to say "no" to hundreds of millions in private
investment (cost-free and risk-free), which creates 15,000 permanent new
jobs and resolves a decades-old capacity crunch in Chicago's market?
Clearly not.

If someone has a better plan, let's hear it. If not, let's support this
golden opportunity so that the Southland can prosper and someday provide
a better quality of life and economic future for those who need and
deserve it: our children.

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