Feds target United over Indianapolis base closure INDIANAPOLIS (AP) =97 Government authorities who granted tax breaks to= entice=20 United Airlines to build a maintenance base at Indianapolis International=20 Airport have filed claim for at least $100 million after the airline closed= =20 the operation. The claim was filed Friday in the federal bankruptcy court=20 in Chicago handling United's Chapter 11 case. As unsecured creditors, the=20 state, Indianapolis and Hendricks County are in line behind banks and=20 bondholders in priority for debt repayment. The claim involves the=20 airline's failure to invest $800 million at the base and to hire at least=20 6,300 workers there by 2004. United received a $295 million tax incentive=20 package in 1991 and agreed to pay penalties if it failed to meet investment= =20 targets. United's parent company, UAL Corp., last year paid a $34 million=20 penalty for failing to meet one such target. Officials previously said=20 total penalties could amount to $146 million. United paid $690,000 a year=20 to lease 250 acres for the airport-owned repair base. In March, United laid= =20 off virtually all 1,100 mechanics at the base. The base also employed about= =20 400 salaried and management workers. At its peak in 1998 it employed nearly= =20 3,000. On May 2, United filed a motion with the bankruptcy court to reject= =20 its lease with the Indianapolis Airport Authority. State and local=20 government authorities on Friday filed a motion objecting to United's=20 request for lease rejection. Authorities want to compel United to hand back= =20 the base and other property owned by the Airport Authority according to=20 terms contained in the lease, not "in an unusable state." Airport officials= =20 hope to eventually lease the base to another airline. But, with the airline= =20 industry mired in financial trouble, prospects for finding a partner are=20 uncertain. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: http://www.cso.gov.tt TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************