The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has prepared a Draft Projections of Aeronautical Activity for the Inaugural Airport Program, South Suburban Airport. This document was submitted and reviewed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). On June 4, 2004, FAA approved the report stating that it believes the document projects passenger demand and aviation activity at reasonable levels. A summary of the report is provided below. Copies of the Draft Forecast Report are also available at several locations. For a list of locations where you can review the report click on the link at the bottom of this page. To download a copy of the report, or view the FAA approval letter, click on the appropriate links located at the bottom of this page.

The Inaugural Airport Program (IAP) at the South Suburban Airport is being planned to serve at least three (3) separate facets of aeronautical activity including: air passenger, air cargo and general aviation/corporate. The level of activity for each of these types of aeronautical activity is dependent on a number of factors including airline service attracted to the airport, facilities provided at the airport, operating costs and supporting infrastructure. Due to uncertainty inherent when forecasting activity for a new airport, a range of forecasts for each type of aeronautical activity was produced. These forecasts, as driven by market forces, have been labeled low, base and high to reflect certain assumptions regarding the introduction of service at SSA.

The draft forecast report concludes that the sector of the air passenger market with the greatest likelihood of growth in the Chicago region would be that of domestic low-cost carriers. Low-cost carriers (LCC) are defined in the report as airlines that primarily operate point-to-point destinations, operate relatively homogeneous aircraft fleets, have low operating costs, tend to use supplemental/secondary airports, and generally offer attractively priced fares. Traditionally, low-cost carriers have attracted leisure travelers, but as amenities have disappeared from the mainline carriers, more and more business travelers are also utilizing low-cost carriers.

IDOT projects that anywhere from 360 to 3,400 passenger air carrier operations will occur at SSA during it’s first year of operation, growing to between 9,800 and 23,500 annual operations after five years. The number of passenger enplanements expected at the airport range from 19,600 to 169,000 during the first year, increasing to between 470,000 and 970,000 after five years.

Cargo activity at the airport is projected to range from 0 to 2,600 operations in the first year to between 1,200 and 5,500 operations after five years. General aviation/corporate aviation activity during the first year is expected to range from 16,400 operations under the low case forecasts to 54,000 operations under the high case forecasts. This activity is expected to increase to between 16,800 and 55,600 operations after five years.

For more information on the Draft Projections of Aeronautical Activity for the Inaugural Airport Program, please download the appropriate sections by clicking on the following link:

• View the Draft Projections of Aeronautical Activity for the Inaugural Airport Program

• View the FAA Letter Approving the Draft Forecast Report

• View the List of Draft Forecast Report Locations