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Gogo Flying Boeing 737 Out Of Aurora Airport To Test WiFi Service

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Residents in west suburban Sugar Grove were surprised to see a Boeing 737 airliner parked on the runway at the Aurora Municipal Airport recently, but the big jet wasn't there for passenger flights.

The plane was being flown by the company Gogo Air, to test new equipment for in-flight Wi-Fi services.

Aurora Airport interim manager Steve Andras said the runway is long enough to accommodate 737s, though it is typically used by smaller private aircraft.

"We have a mix between general aviation aircraft – such as your single-engine piston aircraft – we also have some corporate jet traffic out here as well," he said.

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Andras said area residents don't need to worry about jetliners becoming a common sight at the airport, because there won't be any other large planes flying in and out, and the 737 will only be used for research and development.

"We're not going to have a regularly scheduled air carrier with a large plane at Aurora. That won't happen, and that's been agreed upon by the city of Aurora and the village of Sugar Grove," he said.

Gogo had been testing its service on smaller aircraft for the past few years, but recently asked to upgrade.

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