O’Brien hopes to snag millions for airport projects

February 25th, 2009 at 12:12pm Chuck Sweeny

Just checked in with Bob O’Brien, executive director of Chicago Rockford International Airport. Bob is upbeat about the airport’s chances of getting substantial money from President Obama’s stimulus bill.

“I’m led to believe we’ll do well,” he said, indicating that the airport might receive from $5 million to $10 million for a variety of projects: Rebuilding the deteriorated Falcon Road on the east side of the airport; rebuilding a taxiway and constructing an “aerospace and alternative energy education research and development building,” which is a mouthful. Call it ERD for short.

O’Brien says the airport has now had 10,000 entries to its contest to guess the new destinations of a new passenger carrier that is coming soon to the airport. Winners get some free tickets either to the new destinations or to Cancun.

Despite the economic slump, there is good news for airlines, both passenger and freight: “Jet A” airplane fuel is reasonably priced again.

“Jet A is about $2.50 a gallon right now,” O’Brien said. Last year, when the airport launched Southern Skyways service to Denver, fuel was going for $3.50, but it quickly spiked to $5. That was too high to make money, the service quickly had to be scuttled.

The stars may be aligned for Rockford’s airport. President Obama is intimately familiar with the airport’s needs, as are RFD’s chief political cloutmeisters, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-IL, the majority whip, and U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo, R-Egan.

When he was a senator, Obama met with O’Brien and airport board Chairman Mike Dunn at Cliffbreakers. Also, former congressman Ray LaHood of Peoria is the secretary of transportation. He knows O’Brien from the days Bob managed the Springfield airport, which was partially in LaHood’s district. And RFD has developed an excellent reputation with the FAA leadership.

“We are very blessed to have Illinois-friendly leaders in Washington,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien also said he is hopeful the new airline will announce its destinations in the next couple of weeks.

Entry Filed under: Bob O'Brien, Bob O