What is the abandoned airport in Chicago?

Merrill C. Meigs Field Airport (pronounced /m?gz/, formerly ICAO: KCGX, FAA LID: CGX) was a single-runway airport in Chicago that was in operation from 1948 to 2003, when it was bulldozed overnight by then-mayor Richard M. Daley.



The most famous abandoned airport in Chicago is Meigs Field (Merrill C. Meigs Field), located on Northerly Island along the lakefront. It gained international notoriety on the night of March 30, 2003, when then-Mayor Richard M. Daley ordered city crews to bulldoze large "X" marks into the runway without prior notice, effectively destroying the airport overnight. Today, in 2026, the site has been fully transformed into Northerly Island Park, a 91-acre urban nature preserve featuring prairie grasses, walking paths, and a concert venue. While it is no longer an active airfield, its legacy persists in aviation culture, as it was famously the "default" starting airport in early versions of Microsoft Flight Simulator. Another often-discussed "forgotten" site is the former Glenview Naval Air Station north of the city, which was decommissioned and turned into "The Glen" development. However, Meigs Field remains the primary "abandoned" site cited by locals due to the dramatic and controversial nature of its sudden closure and its prime location near downtown.

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On March 31, 2003, one of the best known general aviation airports in the world suddenly closed. Meigs Field, the downtown Chicago landmark and default airport of Microsoft's Flight Simulator video game series, shut down without warning and, according to airport supporters, illegally.

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Because Chicago is a large city that has enough travelers to fill the the need for two airports. O'Hare is north, Midway is south and there's a possibility of a third coming to the south suburbs. Both airports are very busy.

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A great example of an abandoned airport is in Berlin: Tempelhof Airport. A place with an awful lot of history! It was built by the Nazis during the First and Second World Wars, but they never used it as an airport. Nowadays, it is used as an event space and you will also find the largest refugee camp in Germany.

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Monaco, San Marino, Andorra, Liechtenstein and the Vatican are States without airports.

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Chicago O'Hare International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the US (consistently in the top four for at least the past five years). It was developed as a major expansion for the city after the Second World War and saw huge growth when newly introduced jets moved away from Midway Airport.

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1949: Chicago City Council renames Orchard Field as Chicago O'Hare International Airport (O'Hare) to honor naval aviator Lieutenant Commander Edward H. “Butch” O'Hare, a Medal of Honor recipient from Chicago.

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While rain has a very slim chance of canceling a flight, there can be a minor chance that rain will delay it. Rain is just water, no matter the pressure. Modern aircraft can generate lift regardless of the heaviness of the rain. Planes can and will take off and land in the rain.

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Delaware is the 2nd smallest state, just slightly larger than Prince Edward Island (by far the smallest Canadian province). It's also the 6th least populated state, with 1 million people, about the same as Nova Scotia. What is this? But what made Delaware a commercial flight-free state is really its location .

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Located on the Western half of where Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport exists today. The families wished for the graves to remain in place when westward extension of this East to West runway was required during World War II.

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General Departure Delays: Traffic is experiencing gate hold and taxi delays lasting 15 minutes or less. General Arrival Delays: Arrival traffic is experiencing airborne delays of 15 minutes or less.

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Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport remains the busiest airport in the world with 5.2 million seats in September 2023. The composition of the Global Top 10 Busiest Airports is also the same as last month but there are a few changes to the rankings.

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Denver International Airport (DEN or DIA) is the biggest airport in the US and the world's second-biggest airport behind King Fahd International Airport. Denver International Airport is located about 25 miles from Downtown Denver. It spans over 4.88 kilometers with a surface area of 52.4 square miles.

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Juancho E. Located on the tiny island of Saba in the Caribbean, Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport is the smallest airport in the world.

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