Atlanta airport busiest in U.S.; Chicago second
ATLANTA — For the third year in a row, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has retained its title as the nation’s busiest airport in terms of flights, according to preliminary data of the top three airports released Wednesday.
The Atlanta airport logged 994,466 flights in 2007, up 1.8 percent from 976,447 flights in 2006, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Flights include takeoffs and landings.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport was listed as second-busiest, with 935,000 flights in 2007. That was down 2.4 percent from the 958,643 flights it had in 2006, the FAA said. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was ranked third, with 686,711 flights in 2007, down 2.3 percent.
In September, the FAA said Denver International Airport was the nation’s fourth-busiest during the first six months of 2007. DIA ranked sixth in 2006.
LoDo buildings find buyer
Crestone Partners and G.E. Asset Management have purchased the two Lower Downtown buildings Opus Northwest is developing.
Opus will continue as developer and general contractor for both properties, totaling 295,000 square feet of office and retail space, at 1400 Wewatta and 1401 Wynkoop.
Crestone Partners and G.E. Asset Mangaement will own and operate the office and retail space, and Opus Northwest will own the Wynkoop Residences, which will occupy the top four levels of 1401 Wynkoop.
McWhinney branches out to Broomfield
Loveland-based McWhinney has purchased 915 acres in Broomfield from Pulte Homes.
The property, which is zoned for commercial use, is part of the Anthem master- planned development at the northwest corner of Interstate 25 and Northwest Parkway. No definite plans or time frame for develoment are in place.
EchoStar spinoff has starry launch
EchoStar Holding Corp., the equipment and satellite-service company spun off from EchoStar Communications Corp., surged in its first day on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
EchoStar Holding, which began trading under the ticker “SATS,” rose to $32.59 from a range of $15 to $19 on a when- issued basis Dec. 31.
EchoStar Communications changed its name to Dish Network Corp. after the separation to reflect its focus on satellite TV. Shares of Dish fell $1.85, or 5.5 percent, to $32.10.
Dairy-suit hearing slated
A hearing is set for Jan. 30 in Phoenix to hear motions seeking to consolidate nearly a dozen lawsuits filed against Boulder-based Aurora Organic Dairy, one of the nation’s largest organic-milk producers.
The lawsuit accuses the dairy of labeling milk as organic without meeting federal organic standards. Aurora Organic denies the allegations.
Cinema advertiser sinks
National CineMedia Inc., the seller of advertising in movie theaters, fell the most ever in Nasdaq Stock Market trading after Lloyd Walmsley of Thom as Weisel Partners in San Francisco cut his rating and lowered fourth-quarter estimates.
National CineMedia sank $4.34 Wednesday, or 17 percent, to close at $20.87, the biggest drop since its initial public offering last Feb. 7.
Chemicals unit changes hands
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Air Products & Chemicals Inc., the world’s largest hydrogen producer, completed the sale of its high-purity process chemicals unit to KMG Chemicals Inc. for about $75 million.
The business, with plants in Pueblo and Milan, Italy, makes acids and solvents for semiconductor wafers.
