In October, Senator Braun and Congressman Visclosky penned a letter on behalf of the GCIA in support of it’s effort to seek a 24-hour advance notice for international flights, with the intention of leading to full-time U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in the airport.
Now, Senator Braun, Congressman Visclosky, and Mayor Prince are happy to announce in conjunction with CBP Chicago Port Director Campbell that, effective immediately, the 48-72 hours customs clearing notice will be reduced to 24 hours. This reduction is projected to create an increased demand for private and corporate aviation landings at GCIA by nearly 400%, and will allow GCIA to begin the process of creating the sufficient traffic needed to become a fully staffed facility in the future.
“Thanks to the efforts of Congressman Visclosky, Gary’s Mayor Prince, and CBP Chicago Port Director C. Shane Campbell, the Gary/Chicago International Airport has taken a big leap forward for economic development in the Gary region. This 24-hour Customs clearance change sets the stage for full-time U.S. Customs agents to serve in the airport and opens the door to GCIA becoming a fully-staffed facility with international flights,” said Senator Mike Braun. “I’m committed to working with stakeholders across the region to help create opportunity for economic development and new jobs, and I’m looking forward to seeing GCIA continue to grow for the citizens of Gary and all of Northwest Indiana.”
“We’re excited at the great progress Congressman Pete Visclosky and Sen. Mike Braun have made with Customs and Border Protection and Director Campbell in significantly reducing the amount of time our airport needs to respond to requests for an international customs agent. This is public service in action, and the increased responsiveness will draw more economic development to the Gary Chicago International Airport, the City of Gary and Northwest Indiana.” – Mayor Jerome A. Prince
GCIA (Gary Chicago International Airport) is the cornerstone of a renewed economy in Gary, Indiana and is uniquely positioned near Lake Michigan and Downtown Chicago to leverage both its location and the surrounding transportation network to change the dynamic in the Region.
Significant investments made by the federal government and State of Indiana – including the 2018 construction of a state-of-the-art Customs Facility – have allowed GCIA to market itself more effectively and remain competitive with similar facilities in the Midwest. A recent 4.2 million dollar FAA grant for Taxiway improvements to ensure viability for UPS operations will lead to the creation of 60 new jobs.
