Commercial fights closed down at Gary-Chicago airport

Gary-Chicago International Airport operators said they were accepting proposals to revive the business that has no commercial flights scheduled after Saturday. The Chicago Tribune reported that 29 businesses, including one as far away as Australia, had expressed interest in the airport that served more than 10,500 passengers in 2012, but had its last commercial flight scheduled for departure Saturday morning. The regional airport boasts it is "Chicago's real third airport," but that claim is withering despite a $167 million runway expansion project that will allow Gary-Chicago International to accept larger jets if they would only do more than fly overhead, the newspaper said. Airport officials said they would accept a proposal by October. Meanwhile, Allegiant is pulling out, its last commercial flight a hop to Orlando-Sanford International Airport in Florida, scheduled less than two years after the airline made a ballyhooed debut at the airport.