Midway International Airport

History

Early history (1923–1962)

Originally named Chicago Air Park, Midway Airport was built on a 320 acre plot in 1923 with one cinder runway mainly for airmail flights. In 1926, the city leased the airport and on December 12, 1927 named it Chicago Municipal Airport. By 1928, the airport had twelve hangars and four runways, which were lit up for night operations.

A major fire early on June 25, 1930, destroyed two hangars and 27 aircraft, "12 of them tri-motor passenger planes." The loss was estimated at more than two million dollars. The destroyed hangars belonged to the Universal Air Lines, Inc. and the Grey Goose Airlines, the latter under lease to Stout Air Lines. The fire followed an explosion of undetermined cause in the Universal hangar.

In 1931, a new passenger terminal opened at 62nd St; the following year the airport claimed to be the "World's Busiest" with over 100,846 passengers on 60,947 flights. (The July 1932 Official Aviation Guide (OAG) shows 206 scheduled airline departures a week.)

More construction was funded in part by $1 million from the Works Progress Administration; the airport expanded to fill the square mile in 1938–41 after a court ordered the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad to reroute tracks that had crossed the square along the northern edge of the older field.

The March 1939 OAG shows 47 weekday departures: 13 on United, 13 American, 9 TWA, 4 Northwest, and two each on Eastern, Braniff, Pennsylvania Central, and C&S. New York's airport (Newark, then LaGuardia by the end of 1939) was then the busiest airline airport in the United States, but Midway passed LaGuardia in 1948 and kept the title until 1960. The record-breaking 1945 Japan–Washington flight of B-29s refueled at the airport on their way to Washington, DC.

In July 1949, the airport was renamed after the Battle of Midway. That year, Midway saw 3.2 million passengers. In 1959, passenger count peaked at 10 million. The diagram on the January 1951 C&GS approach chart shows four parallel pairs of runways, all 4240 ft or less, except for the 5730 ft runway 13R (current runway 13C) and the 5230 ft runway 4R.

The April 1957 OAG shows 414 weekday fixed-wing departures from Midway: 83 American, 83 United, 56 TWA, 40 Capital, 35 North Central, 28 Delta, 27 Eastern, 22 Northwest, 19 Ozark, 11 Braniff, 5 Trans-Canada, and 5 Lake Central. Air France, Lufthansa, and REAL (of Brazil) had a few flights per week.

Midway, being surrounded by buildings on all sides, meant that the airport was unable to expand; its runways were too short to safely handle larger four-engine jetliners (the Boeing 707 and the Douglas DC-8) that appeared in 1959. Instead, Chicago jet flights were directed to use O'Hare, which had opened to airlines in 1955. Lighter aircraft like turboprops Lockheed L-188 Electra's and Vickers Viscounts could have continued to fly out of Midway, but O'Hare's new terminal opened in 1962, allowing airlines to consolidate their flights. From July 1962 until July 1964 when United returned, Midway's only scheduled airline was Chicago Helicopter. In August 1966, a total of four fixed-wing arrivals were scheduled, all United 727s (United was alone at Midway until early 1968).

Post-O'Hare reconstruction (1963–1993)

By 1967, reconstruction began at the airport, adding three new concourses with 28 gates and three ticket counters, and in 1968, the city invested $10 million in renovation funds. (For a few months during the 1967 renovation, Midway had no scheduled airline flights.) The funds partly supported construction of the Stevenson Expressway, and Midway saw the return of major airlines that year, with 1,663,074 passengers on smaller-capacity, shorter range twin-jet and trijet airliners such as the McDonnell Douglas DC-9, BAC One-Eleven, Boeing 727, and Boeing 737 that could use Midway's runways, which the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 could not.

In 1982, the city of Chicago purchased Midway Airport from the Chicago Board of Education for $16 million.{{cite web |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070606142133/http://www.flychicago.com/events/KidsPage2006/MidwayHistory.shtm |archive-date=June 6, 2007 | access-date = April 8, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120424012255/http://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/history/fact-sheet.html#Top%20Ten%20Airports | archive-date = April 24, 2012 | url-status = live

The Carlton Midway Inn moved to allow the Chicago Transit Authority to create a new CTA terminal at the airport on Halloween of 1993. This development helped launch the Chicago 'L' Orange Line, connecting Midway to the Loop. Midway Airport serves as the terminus for the Orange Line, which traverses the southwestern section of the city before encircling the Loop. In contrast to the CTA Blue Line, which operates continuously throughout the day, the Orange Line runs from approximately 4:00 am to 1:00 am, nearly providing 24-hour service with trains arriving at intervals of about 8 minutes. For those traveling during the overnight hours, the N62 Archer bus offers an alternative mode of transportation. The journey from Midway to the Loop takes roughly 25 minutes once the train has departed.

Years of ATA (1994–2008)

In 1996, after failing to get his Lake Calumet Airport and having received harsh criticism for the idea of turning the airport into an industrial park, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley announced the Midway Airport Terminal Development Program, which was launched the following year. At the time, it was the largest public works project in the state. The Midway Airport parking garage opened in 1999, bringing covered parking to the airport for the first time. The garage is connected to the Midway terminal building for convenient access to ticket counters and baggage claim areas.

Continuing with the expansion project, a pedestrian bridge over Cicero Avenue was built in the year 2000, connecting the new terminal to the new concourses. In 2001 the new 900000 sqft Midway Airport terminal building opened to the public with larger ticket counters, spacious baggage claim areas, traveler information, and a short walking distance to the gates. A 50000 sqft food court opened as well, with Chicago-style food and retail options.

The expansion project culminated with a short-lived period of great airline diversity at Midway, as Vanguard Airlines, National Airlines and AirTran Airways all expanded their services to the airport.

ATA Airlines (ATA), also known as ATA Connection, whose primary hub was at Midway, took over Chicago Express Airlines. Chicago Express served as a regional airline connecting to airports around the Great Lakes regions.

Following the September 11 attacks, which resulted in a drop of passenger service, alongside other problems for the airline industry, both Vanguard and National ceased operations at Midway, making it defunct by 2002, with MetroJet being dissolved and refolded into the US Airways main line in late 2001.

In 2002, Midway welcomed the return of international service after a 40-year absence, with the opening of the new Federal Inspection Service facility in Concourse A.

In June 2004, Mayor Daley and airline officials celebrated the completion of the Terminal Development Program. The project, designed by HNTB, resulted in the addition of 14 gates (from 29 to 43). A new 6,300-space economy parking garage, including a new bridge and roadway for buses shuttling passengers to and from the terminal, opened in December 2005.

ATA Airlines began rapid expansion at Midway in the early 2000s (decade), and was the airport's dominant carrier prior to 2004, using 14 of the 17 gates in Concourse A. However, after the airline declared bankruptcy in October 2004, scheduled service from Midway significantly decreased.

For over 16 years, Midway had been the main hub for Indianapolis-based ATA, but the airline announced in March 2008 that it would end all flights from Midway on June 7, 2008. Before this, ATA had filed for bankruptcy on April 2, 2008, and ceased all flights the following day.

In November 2008, Porter Airlines, which flies between Midway and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, was the only international route served from Chicago–Midway after ATA Airlines, which had flights to Mexico, ceased operations in April that year. On December 13, 2010, a second carrier, Volaris, began flights between Guadalajara and Midway.

Starting in early 2009, a construction project added a new walkway and food court to Concourse A. The project also connected gates A4A and A4B to the main A concourse. Expansions were completed in the spring of 2010.

Privatization attempts

Chicago has considered privatizing the airport, but the deals fell through in 2009 and 2013.

On April 20, 2009, a $2.5 billion deal to privatize the airport via a 99-year lease fell through, when the consortium could not put together financing. The city would have kept $125 million in the down payment. The consortium operating under the name of Midway Investment and Development Company LLC consisted of Vancouver Airport Services, Citi Infrastructure Investors, and Boston's John Hancock Life Insurance. It was awarded the contract in October 2008 by the City Council, which voted 49–0 in approval to it. The consortium would have operated the airport and collected airport parking, concession, and passenger facility charges. However, Chicago would have continued to provide fire and police services.

In September 2013, Mayor Rahm Emanuel terminated new negotiations to privatize the airport, noting that the process was no longer competitive after one of the two finalists had backed out. The one remaining was Great Lakes Airport Alliance – a partnership of Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets and Ferrovial. Macquarie was one of the investors in the Chicago Skyway. The group that backed out was a group that included the Australia-based Industry Funds Management and Manchester Airports Group. The Great Lakes proposal had been valued at $2 billion and would have involved a 40-year lease.

Modernization program

Construction began on expansions of the security checkpoint and main parking garage. The bridge spanning Cicero Ave was widened from 50 ft to over 400 ft, allowing up to 17 security lanes and a streamlined queue. Because the current terminal opened just a few months prior to the September 11th attacks, the security area was quickly rendered too small for the new screening measures and was subsequently forced to expand inward, taking away from space in the concourses. The space that was reclaimed by moving security outward into the bridge will be redeveloped with an expansion of the central food court. The main parking garage was extended eastward over the CTA L tracks to add 1,500 spaces and to streamline the entrance way. In addition to the redeveloped central food court, new concession options will open in phases, including a food court in Concourse A, utilizing previously unused space built during the 2010 rebuild of the Gate A4A/B connecting walkway. The program is the largest capital improvement project at the airport since the 2001 terminal redevelopment and has been fully completed.

Facilities

All terminals and hangars were on the square periphery. By the late 1970s, the shorter north–south and east–west runway pairs had been closed; some were converted into taxiways. The other four runways remain in use, all strengthened and enhanced, at still about the same lengths. A short runway (13R/31L) for light aircraft was added in 1989.

Chicago Midway International Airport covers just over one square mile (650 acres) and has four active runways:

• 13L/31R: 6522 x, air carrier runway, ILS-equipped
• 4R/22L: 6445 x, air carrier runway, ILS-equipped
• 4L/22R: 5507 x, general aviation and air taxi
• 13R/31L: 3859 x, light aircraft only

Midway is surrounded by buildings and other development, so the landing thresholds of the runways are displaced to provide obstacle clearance. The FAA and the airlines ensure safety by adhering to calculated load limits and various weather minimums. Because of the displaced landing thresholds, the runways have shorter distances available for landings than for takeoffs. 13L/31R, the longest runway in Midway, only has an available landing distance of 6059 ft in the southeast direction, and 5826 ft to the northwest. The largest aircraft normally seen at Midway is the Boeing 757. Normally, commercial planes only take off from, and land on, runways 4R/22L and 13L/31R. The other runways are used by smaller aircraft and, per the US FAA Chart Supplement, are restricted from use by large commercial aircraft, except for emergencies. Former runway 13L/31R was permanently closed after 82 years on August 9, 2023, and was converted to Taxiway H.

Terminal

Midway has 43 aircraft gates on three concourses.

• Concourse A has 17 gates.
• Concourse B has 23 gates.
• Concourse C has 3 gates.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

| Allegiant Air | Asheville, Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Knoxville, Punta Gorda (FL), Savannah Seasonal: Provo | Delta Air Lines | Atlanta | Delta Connection | Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul | Frontier Airlines | Atlanta, Baltimore, Cancún (begins March 7, 2026), Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, Miami, Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Tampa | Porter Airlines | Toronto–Billy Bishop | Southwest Airlines | Albany, Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham (AL), Boston, Buffalo, Burbank, Cancún, Charleston (SC), Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Columbus–Glenn, Dallas–Love, Denver, Des Moines (resumes March 5, 2026), Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Grand Rapids, Hartford, Houston–Hobby, Indianapolis, Jacksonville (FL), Kansas City, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Louisville, Manchester (NH), Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee (begins March 5, 2026), Minneapolis/St. Paul, Montego Bay, Myrtle Beach, Nashville, New Orleans, New York–LaGuardia, Norfolk, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Ontario, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Pittsburgh, Portland (OR), Providence, Punta Cana, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Rochester (NY), Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), Sarasota, Savannah, Seattle/Tacoma, St. Louis, Tampa, Tucson, Tulsa, Washington–National, Wichita (resumes March 5, 2026) Seasonal: Boise, Bozeman, El Paso, Palm Springs, Panama City (FL), Pensacola, Portland (ME), Reno/Tahoe, San José del Cabo, San Juan, Spokane | Volaris | Aguascalientes, Durango, Guadalajara, León/Del Bajío, Morelia, Zacatecas

Ground transportation

The airport terminal is connected by a walkway to Midway station. The station serves as a major local bus station for Chicago Transit Authority buses, and is the western terminus of the Chicago "L" Orange Line. The Orange Line connects the airport to The Loop in the city center, with a travel time of approximately 30 minutes. Midway station is also served by suburban bus operator Pace, and River Valley Metro operates regional services to Manteno and Bourbonnais in Kankakee County.

Statistics

Top destinations

Airline market share

Airport traffic

Accidents and incidents

On December 8, 1972, United Air Lines Flight 553, a Boeing 737-200, crashed into a residential area outside Midway during landing. The crash of the 737-200 killed 43 of the 61 on board, and two on the ground. One of the victims on the plane was Dorothy Hunt, the wife of Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt. She was carrying $10,000 in cash. James McCord alleged that she supplied the Watergate defendants with money for legal expenses.

Thirty-three years later, on December 8, 2005, Southwest Airlines Flight 1248, a Boeing 737-700 inbound from Baltimore–Washington International Airport in Baltimore, Maryland, slid off the runway while attempting to land at the airport in a heavy snow storm. The airplane broke through the barrier fence of the airport and came to rest at the intersection of 55th Street and Central Avenue bordering the airport at its northwest corner. Seven people were injured and a 6-year-old boy, who was a passenger in a vehicle struck by aircraft, was killed after the plane struck two vehicles in the intersection.

Source: Civil Aeronautics Board archives, NTSB records.

Note: Prior to 1941, the runways did not have numerical designations. The runway now designated 13C/31C was designated 13R/31L from 1941 until 1989, when a new Runway 13R/31L was built. Runways 27L, 27R, 36L and 36R were closed by 1973.

References

References

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