Merrill C Meigs

Merrill C. Meigs Field (IATA: CGX) opened in 1948 as a compact, single-runway municipal airport with a small one-terminal facility on Chicago’s Northerly Island, serving mainly general aviation and business charters rather than scheduled airlines. Its downtown location made it uniquely convenient—an easy drive via Lake Shore Drive and short connections to CTA bus routes and taxis—but Meigs was permanently closed and its runway demolished in 2003 and the site converted into parkland, so it no longer handles flights. Historically it wasn’t a hub for commercial carriers, was seen as an affordable option for private pilots, and travelers now use Chicago O’Hare (ORD) or Midway (MDW).