NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The New Orleans international airport, whether expanded or replaced by an entirely new airport, should be governed on a regional basis with the city taking a sharply reduced share of ownership, a group of government officials from the area decided Friday.
Under a ''joint statement of principles'' signed by city and parish leaders and federal officials, an expanded version of the Louis Armstrong International Airport or a new airport in the New Orleans region would have a regional governing board and the city would be compensated for giving up 100 percent ownership that it now has in the airport.
After a closed-door meeting, Mayor Ray Nagin called the agreement ''a very historic event'' and said officials were ''ready to start moving ahead with some regional planning for a world-class airport.''
Copyright 2005 Associated Press
