For more information: March 23, 2016 Gene Olson: 309-697-8272 x 100 or [email protected] For Immediate Release

New terminal to be dedicated in honor of Ray LaHood

Peoria, IL – Former U.S. Transportation Secretary and Congressman Ray LaHood will be honored April 12 during a special dedication ceremony at the General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport. The airport’s new International terminal will be named in his honor.

Special guests U.S. Transportation Secretary and , Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, will be featured speakers at the dedication event. There will be a media availability prior to the event for credentialed media only.

“Secretary LaHood has done so much for central . He has been an earnest and humble public servant for more than a quarter of a century. It is our honor to recognize his career of public service by putting his name on this public building, a building with ties not only to his hometown, but also his prestigious appointment as a U.S. Secretary of Transportation,” said Karen Jensen, Chairwoman of the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Peoria.

The $11 million Ray LaHood International Terminal includes a full-service Customs and Border Protection facility, as well as two additional dual-purpose gates for domestic or international travel. The cost of the 22,000-square-foot, two-story terminal will be covered by current passenger facility fees.

Public tours of the building will be offered before it is commissioned.

This terminal is the first major addition since the General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport’s main terminal opened in April 2011. Since then, passenger records have been set for the past four years, with more than 640,000 passengers traveling through the airport in 2015, resulting in the need for more gate space.

Ray LaHood was the 16th United States Secretary of Transportation, serving in President ’s cabinet and leading an agency with more than 55,000 employees and

6100 W. Everett McKinley Dirksen Parkway I Peoria, IL 61607 I (309) 697-8272 I www.flypia.com a $70 billion budget that oversaw air, maritime and surface transportation missions. Prior to his appointment as Transportation Secretary, LaHood served 14 years in Congress. LaHood succeeded U.S. House Minority Leader Robert Michel, representing the 18th Congressional District after serving as Michel’s Chief of Staff.

“I am honored to accept this recognition and proud of the work we have done over the years to improve the Peoria International Airport,” Secretary LaHood said in a statement.

The dedication event is being jointly hosted by Easters Seals Central Illinois and the Children’s Hospital of Illinois. Proceeds will benefit the Ray and Kathy LaHood Center for Cerebral Palsey.

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The General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport currently provides service to 11 destinations on four airlines: Allegiant to Orlando/Sanford, Las Vegas, Tampa/St. Pete, Phoenix/Mesa and Ft. Myers/Punta Gorda; American to Chicago and Dallas/Ft. Worth; Delta to Atlanta, Detroit and Minneapolis; and United to Chicago and Houston. Air freight service is provided by UPS serving Central Illinois with daily flights to major freight hubs. General Aviation is served by Byerly Aviation at PIA and by the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Peoria at Mount Hawley Airport.

6100 W. Everett McKinley Dirksen Parkway I Peoria, IL 61607 I (309) 697-8272 I www.flypia.com