Gary-Chicago airport to finance $1.3M corporate hangar

GARY, Ind. (AP) - The board overseeing the Gary-Chicago International Airport has approved building a corporate hanger as part of the field's master plan.

The Airport Authority Board approved a contract Friday with Burling Builders Inc. for nearly $1.3 million.

Board chairman Tim Fesko says the airport is seeing "major advances thanks to investments from the public and private sector."

The announcement follows investments by the airport's fixed-based operators. B. Coleman opened a 40,000-square-foot (3,700-square-meter) hangar in November as part of a $20 million investment. Gary Jet Center opened a $3 million corporate flight center in October.

There's also ongoing construction of a general aviation U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility scheduled to open later this year. It will allow global visitors to fly into Gary without having to clear customs elsewhere.