Illinois Statutes Chapter 35. Revenue § 200/15-160. Airport authorities and airports

(a) All property belonging to any Airport Authority and used for Airport Authority purposes or leased to another entity, which property use would be exempt from taxation under this Code if it were owned by the lessee entity, is exempt. However, the provision added by Public Act 86-219 shall not apply to any property of any Airport Authority located in a county with more than 3,000,000 inhabitants. Property acquired for airport purposes by an Authority shall remain subject to any tax previously levied to pay bonds issued and outstanding on the date of acquisition.

(b) Also exempt is any airport or restricted land area or other air navigation facility owned, controlled, operated or leased by another state or a political subdivision of another state under the provisions of Sections 25.01 to 25.04, both inclusive, of the “Illinois Aeronautics Act”. 1 However if at the time of the acquisition of property to be used for public airport purposes the city, village, township or school district, in which said property is located is indebted for any amount for payment of which it provided for the collection of taxes, the property acquired for public airport purposes shall be subject to taxation for the payment of said indebtedness in the same proportion as said property bore to the taxable property in said city, village, township or school district immediately before the acquisition thereof, according to the last assessment for taxation.

(c) If property of the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Rock Island County is leased to a fixed base operator that provides aeronautical services to the public, then those leasehold interests and any improvements thereon are exempt.