For Immediate Release:
December 19, 2000

Contact Information:
Monique Bond
773-686-3700/312-839-3194

Aviation News: Aviation Commissioner Thomas R. Walker Supports FAA's Proposed Chicago Terminal Airspace Project

(Chicago) December 19, 2000. City of Chicago Aviation Commissioner Thomas R. Walker submitted testimony in support of the FAA's proposed Chicago Terminal Airspace Project (CTAP) at a public hearing at the FAA's Regional Headquarters. Kitty Freidheim, Managing Deputy Commissioner for Planning, presented Commissioner Walker's testimony.

The Chicago Department of Aviation strongly backs the project because of the positive impact it will have on flights to and from O'Hare and Midway Airport. CTAP is expected to reduce flight delays and improve airline on-time performance. CTAP is a regional initiative of the FAA that calls for the creation of new high altitude arrival and departure routes at O'Hare and more inbound routes to Midway Airport. It also recommends changes to current air traffic control procedures that will simplify operations and give controllers greater flexibility.

Commissioner Walker's testimony stated that given years of advances in aviation technology and equipment, the proposed airspace changes are long overdue, "CTAP will reduce many of the unnecessary delays travelers are experiencing both en route and on the ground," said Commissioner Walker. "The project proposes safe and more efficient ways of coordinating flights in and out of the Chicago region. Everyone involved, from the airlines and their passengers to the residents around the airports, stands to benefit from its implementation."

Managing Deputy Commissioner Freidheim added in her introduction that in addition to reduced delays and flight times, CTAP has the potential to enhance air quality through reduced aircraft emissions. Fewer delays would also mean fewer flights pushed back to nighttime hours, when residents are most sensitive to noise.

The FAA has prepared a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the CTAP Project and is seeking comments from federal, state, and local agencies, as well as the public. The hearing was held at FAA's Headquarters, located at 2300 E. Devon Avenue in Des Plaines.