Chicago considers six to run Midway

CHICAGO, March 16 (UPI) -- Chicago's Chief Financial Officer Lois Scott said the city, after selecting six potential bidders, will continue to study privatizing Midway Airport.

The city sent out a request for qualifications, looking for companies that could take over operations at the city's second airport. Sixteen different groups responded, The Chicago Tribune reported Saturday.

Out of the 16, city officials and consultants that make up the Midway Advisory Panel chose six they felt could manage the job based on their financial soundness and their experience running airports. The next step is to provide the select group with additional information about Midway, the newspaper said.

"While we continue to evaluate if such a deal is a win for Chicagoans ... we are encouraged by this strong group of qualified respondents," Scott said.

The six investor groups or airport management firms selected include AMP Capital Investors Ltd., which manages airports in Britain and Australia, Corporacion America Group from Argentina, which operates 49 airports and Global Infrastructure Partners, which manages airports in London and Edinburgh, Scotland.

The company that manages London's Heathrow Airport, Great Lakes Airport Alliance, survived the cut. The remaining two contenders for a possible contract are Incheon International Airport and Hastings Funds Management, which owns and operates Incheon International Airport in South Korea, and Industry Funds Management and Manchester Airport Group, a global airport management concern.

Nine other companies were only interested in providing financing for the project. They are still eligible to participate, the Tribune said.

ACO Investment Group was scratched from the list, the city said.