US: Chicago, airlines nearing $8.5b deal to dramatically expand O'Hare

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago’s airline carriers are in the final stages of negotiating a blockbuster $8.5b deal to dramatically expand O’Hare International Airport with a state-of-the-art global terminal, dozens of new gates and several additional concourses. The eight-year plan would be the single largest and most expensive terminal revamp in O’Hare’s 73-year history. The goal is to vault the airline hub long known for its gridlock and delays into the 21st century by growing its sluggish number of international flights and creating more room for its domestic carriers. Emanuel is seeking to leverage the May expiration date of the airlines’ 35-year lease to secure higher fees and charges from the carriers that would help bankroll the ambitious project. The Aviation Department would borrow against the future airline fees to pay for the construction, which city officials said would not require taxpayer dollars. The 55-year-old Terminal 2 would be torn down to make way for a new “Global Terminal” with wider concourses and gates to accommodate the larger aircraft that embark on international flights to places like Hong Kong and Dubai. Terminals 1, 3 and 5 would be renovated, while two new satellite concourses would be constructed to the west of the existing terminals and connected to the new Global Terminal by an underground pedestrian tunnel. All told, more than 3.1m square feet of terminal space would be added — a 72% increase over the current 4.3mi square feet.<br/>