CHICAGO, 2012-09-21 — /travelprnews.com/ — Today marked the official grand opening of the new Signature Flight Support terminal at O’Hare International Airport. The facility replaces the existing fixed-base operator (FBO) facility, which needed to be relocated as part of O’Hare’s ongoing airfield reconfiguration under the O’Hare Modernization Program (OMP).
The celebration, hosted by Signature, included a reception at the new building with a live, jazz trio, elegant food and desserts and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The new Signature Flight Support terminal provides support services to general aviation operators at O’Hare International Airport. The facility was built by Signature Flight Support Corporation at a cost of approximately $3 million. The 9,150-square-foot, single-story, state-of-the art building contains a large lobby, management offices, a conference room, crew lounge, VIP Lounge, Ground Support Equipment Maintenance Bay and supporting restroom facilities with showers.
Rosemarie S. Andolino, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) and Maria Sastre, Chief Operating Officer for Signature Flight Support, offered remarks praising the design, efficiency and sustainable elements incorporated into the new facility.
“As with all new construction at Chicago’s airports, sustainability was incorporated into the building’s design, construction and operation under the guidelines of the CDA Sustainable Airport Manual or SAM”, Andolino said. “On behalf of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, I want to thank Maria Sastre, and all the Signature staff for making a smooth transition from their previous location to this facility.”
The Signature FBO is an environmentally-friendly facility that was designed and constructed under the guidelines of the CDA Sustainable Airport Manual. The project is expected to receive three green airplanes under the SAM rating and award system and is also expected to pursue LEED Silver Certification.
The green elements include designated parking spaces for fuel efficient/low emitting vehicles; water-conserving plumbing fixtures within the building and native, drought-resistant landscaping around the exterior and recycled or re-used building materials from previous FBO including fencing, cameras, signage and furniture.
The total leasehold area of the FBO facility, including the building, vehicle parking area and aircraft apron is about 151,600-square-feet. Construction on the facility began in June 2011and was completed in August 2012.
The project also included construction of a new general aviation ramp built by the CDA to support the relocated terminal facility. The 52,000-square-yard ramp area is designed to accommodate a variety of aircraft including aircraft as large as Aviation Design
Group V along with a supporting taxi lane.
The new Signature Fight Support terminal is located on the northeast area of O’Hare property, on Patton Drive south of Higgins Road just west of Bessie Coleman Drive.
The relocation of the Signature Flight Support terminal marks a significant milestone for the OMP. The project is a component of the OMP Completion Phase 2A “Runway 9C/27C Northeast Package”. The replacement site is located approximately 1,000 feet north of the former facility, which was in the proximity of where future Runway 9C/27C and other new airfield infrastructure are planned to be constructed. Runway 9C/27C is a component of OMP Completion Phase 2B.
Signature Flight Support also operates a FBO facility at Midway International Airport. For more information about Signature Flight Support Corporation please click here. For more information about the O’Hare Modernization Program, as well as O’Hare and Midway International Airports, click here.
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(Left to right) Geoff Heck, Regional VP, Signature; Mark Costa, Chicago Area Dir., Signature; CDA Commissioner Andolino; Maria Saster, COO, Signature; John Manning, Kraus Manning Construction and Hank Mook, Gen. Mgr., Signature O’Hare.