Chicago Rockford International Airport

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Coordinates: 42°11′43″N 089°05′50″W / 42.19528, -89.09722

Chicago Rockford International Airport
Image:KRFD.gif
IATA: RFD – ICAO: KRFD – FAA: RFD
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		Greater Rockford Airport Authority
Serves		Rockford, Illinois
Elevation AMSL		742 ft / 226 m
Website		www.FlyRFD.com
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
1/19	8,199	2,499	Asphalt
7/25	10,004	3,049	Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (2006)
Aircraft operations			77,558
Source: Federal Aviation Administration^[1]

Image:Chicago Rockford International Airport.jpg

Chicago Rockford Passenger Terminal

Image:RFD Route Map.png

Destinations served from
Chicago Rockford International Airport
(as of December 14, 2007)

Image:RFD airport map.PNG

FAA diagram of Chicago Rockford International Airport

Chicago Rockford International Airport or Greater Rockford Airport (IATA: RFD, ICAO: KRFD, FAA LID: RFD), is a general aviation and commercial airport in Winnebago County, Illinois, United States. It is located 68 miles (109 km) northwest of Chicago^[1] and four miles (6 km) south of Rockford.

1 History
2 Facilities and aircraft
3 Airlines and destinations
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

RFD traces its history back to 1917, when Camp Grant — a U.S. Army Cavalry Camp was established during the First World War. During the events of the second World War, Camp Grant was made into a military training base and prisoner of war confinement center.

Following the war, the state of Illinois adopted the Airport Authority Act. The Greater Rockford Airport Authority was created in 1946. For more than forty years this airport was referred to as the Greater Rockford airport.

Being less than 90 miles (145 km) from downtown Chicago, the airport's name was changed to the Northwest Chicagoland Regional Airport in the early 2000s. In 2004 the airport became the Chicago/Rockford International Airport (the slash was removed in 2007^[2]) when the airport gained an official US port of entry and achieved international status. The airport is marketed to residents of Rockford and surrounding areas as an alternative to Chicago Midway International Airport and O'Hare International Airport, as well as limited service airports such as the one at Dubuque, Iowa. The airlines at RFD also often use their low fares and free airport parking as a selling point as well.

Larry Morrissey, the mayor of Rockford, has pushed for high-speed rail to link the airport with O'Hare International.

[edit] Facilities and aircraft

Chicago Rockford International Airport covers an area of 2,900 acres (1,174 ha) which contains two runways, both with an Instrument Landing System: 1/19 measuring 8,199 x 150 ft. (2,499 x 46 m) and 7/25 measuring 10,004 x 150 ft. (3,049 x 46 m). For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2006, the airport had 77,558 aircraft operations, an average of 212 per day: 72% general aviation, 18% scheduled commercial, 6% air taxi and 3% military.^[1]

[edit] Airlines and destinations

[edit] Passenger

Allegiant Air (Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Orlando-Sanford, Phoenix/Mesa, St. Petersburg/Clearwater)
- Apple Vacations operated by Allegiant Air (Cancún) [weekend charter]
United Airlines
- United Express operated by SkyWest (Denver)

RFD is also the company headquarters for Ryan International Airlines, staging many of its aircraft at the airport for charter hire.

Further air service development may come in the form of chartered flights to Shannon, Ireland by Kenny Tours in 2008.

[edit] Cargo

The airport is in a foreign-trade zone.

United Parcel Service sorting hub. This hub is their second largest hub in the nation, behind Louisville International Airport.
DHL, dba Airborne Express
BAX Global

[edit] Rockford AirFest

The airport began hosting the Rockford AirFest in 2005. From 1986 to 1994, the Greater Rockford Airport (as it was known until 2003) hosted the Midwest AirFest which twice featured the Air Force Thunderbirds. They returned again in 2006, and the Navy Blue Angels were featured in 2007. The Thunderbirds will once again perform at the Rockford AirFest 2008 on June 6,7,and 8.