Chicago Midway International Airport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owner | City of Chicago | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operator | Chicago Department of Aviation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Serves | Chicago | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | December 1927 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hub for | Southwest Airlines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 620 ft / 189 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 41°47′10″N 87°45′09″W / 41.78611°N 87.75250°WCoordinates: 41°47′10″N 87°45′09″W / 41.78611°N 87.75250°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | www.flychicago.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Maps | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FAA airport diagram |
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Location of airport in Chicago | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Statistics (2016) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: FAA and airport website
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Aircraft operations | 253,046 |
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Passenger volume | 22,677,589 |
Cargo tonnage | 21,724.7 |
Chicago Midway International Airport (IATA: MDW, ICAO: KMDW, FAA LID: MDW) is a commercial airport on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, eight miles (13 km) from the Loop.
Formerly Chicago's main airport, traffic is currently dominated by low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines. Midway is the Dallas-based carrier's largest focus city, as of 2013. The airport suffered a decline in traffic with the opening of O'Hare International Airport but later experienced significant traffic growth. Midway Airport is the second-largest passenger airport in the Chicago metropolitan area, as well as the state of Illinois, after O'Hare International Airport on the Northwest Side.
Both the Stevenson Expressway and the Chicago Transit Authority's Orange Line provide passengers access to Downtown Chicago.
Originally named Chicago Air Park, Midway Airport was built on a 320-acre (130 ha) plot in 1923 with one cinder runway mainly for airmail flights. In 1926 the city leased the airport and named it Chicago Municipal Airport on December 12, 1927. By 1928, the airport had twelve hangars and four runways, lit for night operations.