CHICAGO O'HARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT RECEIVES SAFETY AWARD FROM THE AIRLINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION

First Award of its Kind to be Given by the Air Line Pilots Association

August 15, 2001

Washington

The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) will meet on Capitol Hill today in honor of its 47th Annual Air Safety Week. The meeting will highlight the industry's commitment to seventy years of air safety paying special tribute to O'Hare International Airport.

The Chicago Department of Aviation will receive an award for its outstanding contributions to airfield safety. "This is a tremendous honor for O'Hare and the operations staff who are committed to the highest standards of safety, said Aviation Commissioner Thomas R. Walker. "Our long term initiatives include improving the communication and cooperation between our pilots and controllers, while increasing the awareness of the safety procedures already in place, " he added.

O'Hare International is the first airport to receive this type of award from ALPA. ALPA recognizes The Department of Aviation's aggressive role in implementing numerous safety programs while working closely with ALPA safety representatives and FAA.

For the past ten years, the Department of Aviation has developed several components of airfield safety awareness and training with ALPA's input that include the airport's winter operations, wildlife management, runway safety and ground vehicle control, and aircraft firefighting and rescue (ARFF).

Disaster preparedness and emergency response are critical and required under Part 139 of the Federal Aviation Regulations in order to maximize safety at the airport. Since 1998, O'Hare has received a perfect certification score, three times.

O'Hare is also entering the first phases of evaluating new and emerging technologies that could prove useful in tracking vehicles on airport movement areas as well as reducing runway incursions.