Commercial traffic in and out of the 'Windy City' of Chicago, Illinois, primarily flies through two airports, namely O'Hare International (ORD) and the smaller Midway International (MDW). However, did you know that a third airport also bears the city's name? Situated around 68 miles (109 km) to the northwest of Chicago, Rockford International Airport (RFD) handles certain low-cost flights to leisure destinations.
A brief history of the airport
According to the airport's website, the site of Chicago Rockford International dates back more than a century, and it began life as a military training facility known as Camp Grant in 1917. From then until 1946, it was actively used by both the US Army and the Illinois National Guard as both a training facility and a prisoner of war camp before closing shortly after the conclusion of the Second World War.
This was followed by the establishment of the Greater Rockford Airport Authority, to whom 1,500 acres of Camp Grant's land was transferred by the government two years after the facility's closure in 1948. Six years later, 1954 saw the start of the airport's construction and its terminal on this land. However, the last Camp Grant buildings remained in place for two more decades, staying until 1974.
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The new airport had mixed fortunes as a commercial facility in the latter part of the 20th century. Various airlines came and went over the years, with some, such as Trans World Airlines (TWA), even offering short flights to the neighboring Chicago O'Hare International Airport. However, despite the construction of a new passenger terminal in 1987, scheduled passenger services initially ceased in 2001.
Chicago Rockford International today
Luckily for the airport, this operational hiatus when it came to scheduled passenger services lasted just two years, and, according to the Rockford Register Star, they returned in 2003. Nowadays, data made available by AirNav shows that the facility has two runways, the longest of which (07/25) is 3,049 meters (10,002 feet) long. Meanwhile, runway 01/19 measures 2,499 meters (8,200 feet) in length.
Rockford International has sustained scheduled passenger services since the 2003 restart by altering its strategy in this aspect of its operations. Specifically, it has marketed itself as an option for low-cost leisure flights rather than angling for the regional traffic that it ultimately couldn't sustain before. At present, Allegiant Air is the only carrier operating scheduled passenger flights to and from Rockford.
Allegiant Doesn’t Compete With Another Airline On 85% Of Its Routes
Which airline do you think is Allegiant's biggest competitor?
The airline flies to Las Vegas, Orlando Sanford, Phoenix-Mesa, Punta Gorda, Sarasota, and St. Petersburg Clearwater from Rockford, with the likes of Los Angeles and Nashville set to be added to its repertoire in the coming months. According to WIFR, more than 238,000 passengers traveled to or from Chicago Rockford International Airport in 2023, and Punta Gorda was the most popular destination.
In terms of how 2024 looks like panning out, scheduling data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, shows that Allegiant has planned to operate 1,464 flights to or from Chicago Rockford International Airport this year. These will offer grand totals of 264,184 seats and 306,573,452 available seat miles, with certain flights towards the end of the year set to use the Boeing 737 MAX 8-200.
A diverse range of traffic
Data from AirNav shows that 51% of Chicago Rockford International Airport's traffic, which amounted to an average of 129 movements a day in 2021, is commercial in nature. This also includes cargo traffic, and UPS has a considerable presence at the airport. Amazon Air also flies freight in and out of Rockford, as does Korean Air, as its location in northern Illinois is advantageous for the cargo supply chain.
Of the remaining 49% of the airport's operations, 28% is categorized under transient general aviation, while another 16% constitutes local general aviation. Air taxi (3%) and military (2%) flights play a smaller role in Rockford's day-to-day activities. It previously hosted an airshow known as Rockford AirFest, but according to Airshow Stuff, this has ceased due to increased traffic and development at the airport.
What do you make of Chicago Rockford International? Have you ever flown to or from this airport? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!