MDW · Chicago, United States
Chicago Midway International Airport.
--:--:-- · CDT (UTC-05:00) · 41.7860° N, 87.7524° W
Midway International Airport
Airport in Chicago, Illinois, United States
Verification trail
Source-backed facts for MDW
This section separates stable airport identifiers from live operating data. Codes, coordinates, timezone, elevation, source identifiers, and accepted reference links are retained here; live arrivals, departures, gates, delays, NOTAMs, and airline schedule changes must still be checked with the airport or carrier.
Airport catalog
OurAirports ID 3673; ident KMDW; scheduled service listed.
Cached airports.csv snapshot: 2026-04-25; runways.csv snapshot: 2026-05-21.
Official airport source
flychicago.com
Used as the preferred live-reference handoff for terminals, gates, alerts, and airport notices.
Open sourceReference summary
Midway International Airport
Airport-shaped reference summary from en.wikipedia.org; summary snapshot 2026-05-20.
Open sourceManual / derived signals
21 source-backed signals
Merged from OurAirports cached airports.csv, OurAirports cached runways.csv, Wikidata airport entity snapshot, airport-shaped Wikipedia summary snapshot; facts generated 2026-05-21.
IATA / ICAO
MDW / KMDW
OurAirports ident
KMDW
GPS / local code
KMDW / MDW
ISO region
US-IL
Scheduled service
Listed in source snapshot
Role
major international passenger gateway
Official host
flychicago.com
Reference host
en.wikipedia.org
Wikidata entity
Q1061437
Snapshot generated
2026-05-21
Airport lookup keys
Stable codes
Regional keys
Alternate names
Nearby airport codes
Route reference codes
Accepted citation URLs
Last updated May 21, 2026. Stable airport identifiers and timezone facts are content-reviewed; clocks render live in the browser, while weather and time-difference notes are page-snapshot aids rather than permanent airport records.
Live values rendered at Nov 5, 8:20 PM UTC.
What you need to know now
Local airport time
--:--:--CDT · UTC-05:00
Time zone
CDT
America/Chicago · UTC-05:00
Airfield conditions
Live airport weather is temporarily unavailable.
Surface access
11 km
Approximate distance to central Chicago.
Airport Snapshot
Country capital
Washington, D.C.
Languages
English
Currency
USD ($)
Country area
9,525,067 km²
Passenger volume
22,050,489 passengers (2023)
Terminals
Not clearly stated
Runways
4 runways
Longest runway
6,522 ft / 1,988 m
Runway surface
concrete (2), asphalt, PEM
Opened / operator
1923
Owner / entity
Chicago
Hub airlines
Mixed or not clearly stated
Airport role
major international passenger gateway
Scheduled service
Listed
Fact coverage
21 source-backed signals
Chicago Midway International Airport is a major international passenger gateway for Chicago, United States. Chicago's built-up core sits roughly 11 km from the terminal area. Operations run on America/Chicago (UTC-05:00, CDT). Live weather is temporarily unavailable. With 4 other indexable airports in its surrounding network, it works well as a reference point for regional flight planning and timezone checks.
Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW / KMDW) is at 41.7860° N, 87.7524° W, elevation 620 ft (189 m), serving Chicago, United States.
The accepted reference summary is used as supporting context for the airport identity and operating notes; the timed facts here still come from the airport catalog, timezone database, country snapshot, and linked source trail.
Chicago is in United States (capital Washington, D.C.); regulated by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); on America/Chicago (CDT, UTC-05:00); working languages: English; currency: USD ($).
Distance from central Chicago: 11 km.
Airport context brief
A compact traveler-facing brief from the airport catalog, country snapshot, route geometry, city anchors, peer airports, and source trail for MDW.
Name and identity cues
Primary airport name
Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW / KMDW)
Midway International Airport · Airport in Chicago, Illinois, United States
Known label 1
CHI
Alternate airport-name cue retained for MDW, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Source identifiers
KMDW · KMDW · MDW · US-IL
flychicago.com · en.wikipedia.org · scheduled service yes
Source-specific airport notes
Regional role cue
Established in 1927, Midway served as Chicago's primary airport until the opening of O'Hare International Airport in 1944.
Accepted from the airport reference trail as a role-specific cue for MDW; not treated as a live service guarantee.
Closest mapped city anchors
1. West Elsdon
west-elsdon · 2.5 km from MDW
United States · America/Chicago · +0h · population 19,219 · city coordinates 41.7939, -87.7245
2. West Lawn
west-lawn · 2.9 km from MDW
United States · America/Chicago · +0h · population 32,749 · city coordinates 41.7728, -87.7223
3. Gage Park
gage-park · 4.8 km from MDW
United States · America/Chicago · +0h · population 41,202 · city coordinates 41.7950, -87.6962
4. Chicago Lawn
chicago-lawn · 4.8 km from MDW
United States · America/Chicago · +0h · population 55,551 · city coordinates 41.7750, -87.6964
5. Ashburn
ashburn-4883679 · 5.5 km from MDW
United States · America/Chicago · +0h · population 42,752 · city coordinates 41.7475, -87.7112
6. Brighton Park
brighton-park · 5.7 km from MDW
United States · America/Chicago · +0h · population 44,202 · city coordinates 41.8189, -87.6989
Airport alternatives in the retained graph
1. ORD KORD
Chicago O'Hare International Airport · Chicago
25 km from MDW · America/Chicago · +0h · elevation 680 ft (207 m) · airport coordinates 41.9786, -87.9048
2. MKE KMKE
General Mitchell International Airport · Milwaukee
130 km from MDW · America/Chicago · +0h · elevation 723 ft (220 m) · airport coordinates 42.9472, -87.8966
3. GRR KGRR
Gerald R. Ford International Airport · Grand Rapids
220 km from MDW · America/Detroit · +1h · elevation 794 ft (242 m) · airport coordinates 42.8808, -85.5228
4. IND KIND
Indianapolis International Airport · Indianapolis
261 km from MDW · America/Indiana/Indianapolis · +1h · elevation 797 ft (243 m) · airport coordinates 39.7173, -86.2944
Route-time reference set
1. MDW-MKE
Milwaukee · 130 km · 1h 0m
America/Chicago · +0h from MDW; reference route only, not a live schedule.
2. MDW-GRR
Grand Rapids · 220 km · 1h 7m
America/Detroit · +1h from MDW; reference route only, not a live schedule.
3. MDW-IND
Indianapolis · 261 km · 1h 10m
America/Indiana/Indianapolis · +1h from MDW; reference route only, not a live schedule.
Runway source evidence
Published runway count
4 runways
Longest runway 6,522 ft / 1,988 m. 4 lighted runways in the runway snapshot.
Runway surface mix
concrete (2), asphalt, PEM
Surface labels are normalized from the OurAirports runway rows for MDW.
Runway identifiers
04L/22R · 04R/22L · 13L/31R · 13R/31L
Identifier pairs are retained as airport-specific runway cues, not live operational availability claims.
Same-country airport context
1. ORD KORD
Chicago O'Hare International Airport · Chicago · 25 km from MDW
large airport · America/Chicago · united-states · 680 ft (207 m) · 41.9786, -87.9048
2. MKE KMKE
General Mitchell International Airport · Milwaukee · 130 km from MDW
large airport · America/Chicago · united-states · 723 ft (220 m) · 42.9472, -87.8966
3. GRR KGRR
Gerald R. Ford International Airport · Grand Rapids · 220 km from MDW
large airport · America/Detroit · united-states · 794 ft (242 m) · 42.8808, -85.5228
4. IND KIND
Indianapolis International Airport · Indianapolis · 261 km from MDW
large airport · America/Indiana/Indianapolis · united-states · 797 ft (243 m) · 39.7173, -86.2944
5. DTW KDTW
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport · Detroit · 367 km from MDW
large airport · America/Detroit · united-states · 645 ft (197 m) · 42.2138, -83.3538
6. CVG KCVG
Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport · Cincinnati / Covington · 401 km from MDW
large airport · America/New_York · united-states · 896 ft (273 m) · 39.0488, -84.6678
Accepted operational notes
Source note 1
Midway is the second-busiest airport in both the Chicago metropolitan area and the state of Illinois, serving 22,050,489 passengers in 2023.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for MDW.
Country and authority
MDW sits in United States (United States of America), whose capital is Washington, D.C.. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the national civil-aviation authority we name for regulator context. Country context: Americas, North America.
Traveler context
Common country-language signals: English. Currency context: USD ($). MDW is listed with scheduled service in the airport source snapshot.
Names and local labels
MDW is also associated in the airport facts snapshot with CHI. These labels help catch alternate airport names without creating separate duplicate airport pages.
Reference description
Airport in Chicago, Illinois, United States. This description is used only as identity context; live flight status, terminal assignment, and airport alerts still belong to the official airport or airline source.
Source-specific cues
Regional role cue: Established in 1927, Midway served as Chicago's primary airport until the opening of O'Hare International Airport in 1944.
Entity fingerprint
Wikidata airport entity: Q1061437 · Midway International Airport. Owner / owning body: Chicago. Administrative area: Chicago. Named after: Chicago · Battle of Midway
Field and clock profile
Chicago Midway International Airport is a low-elevation field at 620 ft (189 m), positioned at 41.7860° N, 87.7524° W in the Northern mid-latitudes. The runway snapshot lists 4 runways and a longest runway of 6,522 ft / 1,988 m. The airport clock uses America/Chicago (CDT, UTC-05:00), so cross-date arrivals should be checked against this zone rather than the airline origin city.
City and airport alternatives
West Elsdon is the closest retained city-time anchor at 2.5 km. ORD Chicago is the closest retained airport alternative at 25 km.
Country airport peers
MDW is compared with ORD Chicago at 25 km, MKE Milwaukee at 130 km, GRR Grand Rapids at 220 km, IND Indianapolis at 261 km, DTW Detroit at 367 km inside the retained United States airport set, which is useful when backup airports share the same country context but differ by city, route network, and clock behavior.
Route geometry
MDW-MKE Milwaukee: 130 km, about 1h 0m, +0h. MDW-GRR Grand Rapids: 220 km, about 1h 7m, +1h. MDW-IND Indianapolis: 261 km, about 1h 10m, +1h. These are distance and timezone references, not live flight availability claims.
Source trail
OurAirports ident KMDW backs the stable code, coordinate, elevation, and timezone record. flychicago.com is attached as the official airport website. en.wikipedia.org is used only as supporting reference context. Snapshot date: 2026-05-21.
Operational Profile
Traffic profile
22,050,489 passengers (2023)
Airline role
Mixed commercial service
Terminal footprint
See operational notes
Runway footprint
4 runways · longest 6,522 ft / 1,988 m
Runway identifiers
04L/22R, 04R/22L, 13L/31R, 13R/31L
OurAirports classifies MDW as a large airport with scheduled service; the airport name and codes identify it as an international gateway for Chicago.
MDW (KMDW) is one of the curated airport pages with a real traffic signal attached: 22,050,489 passengers (2023), operating from a low-elevation field at 620 ft (189 m).
MDW sits in a broader regional network with 4 nearby curated alternatives, so airline choice and connection strategy are part of the planning story here.
MDW's runway record lists 4 runways, with the longest runway at 6,522 ft / 1,988 m and source surfaces recorded as concrete (2), asphalt, PEM.
Civil aviation oversight for MDW runs through Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); a more specific operator record is not currently in our source set.
- Midway is the second-busiest airport in both the Chicago metropolitan area and the state of Illinois, serving 22,050,489 passengers in 2023.
These operational notes prefer the structured airport facts snapshot, then fall back to the accepted airport reference at flychicago.com, then blend that with local timezone, route, and city-access data already on this page.
Decision matrix for MDW
These are the specific situations where this airport page earns its keep: time-zone conversion, city transfer planning, nearby airport backup logic, and source-confidence checks before acting.
When the clock matters
MDW uses America/Chicago (CDT, UTC-05:00). Use this before overnight arrivals, cross-date departures, and same-day connections.
When surface access matters
Chicago Midway International Airport is about 11 km from central Chicago; build that transfer into arrival and check-in planning.
When alternates matter
ORD Chicago is the closest retained alternate at 25 km, time difference +0h.
When source checks matter
flychicago.com is listed as the official airport website in the airport facts snapshot; live schedules, gates, routes, terminals, and NOTAM-sensitive operations still need official airport or airline verification.
How this airport compares nearby
These comparisons place MDW inside the retained airport graph by country, timezone, elevation, and coordinate neighbors. They are deterministic dataset facts, not generated flight claims.
Country-rank position
MDW ranks #47 in the curated United States airport set when large airports are listed before medium airports, then sorted by IATA code. The retained country set has 94 airports.
Same-zone airport cohort
MDW shares America/Chicago with AUS Austin US · BHM Birmingham US · BNA Nashville US · DAL Dallas US · DFW Dallas-Fort Worth US · DSM Des Moines US. This helps separate same-clock airports by city, country, code, and geography.
Elevation-neighbor cohort
MDW is 620 ft (189 m). Closest elevation peers in the retained airport set include BRS 622 ft (190 m) (2 ft delta) · STL 618 ft (188 m) (2 ft delta) · SVO 622 ft (190 m) (2 ft delta) · CRL 614 ft (187 m) (6 ft delta) · DFW 607 ft (185 m) (13 ft delta).
Coordinate-neighbor check
MDW's nearest retained coordinate neighbors are ORD 25 km +0h · MKE 130 km +0h · GRR 220 km +1h · IND 261 km +1h.
Flight Path Arc
Great-circle route between airports with animated plane. Pick a route.
Arriving From / Departing To
| Destination | Route code | Distance | Estimated window | Time difference | Destination clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | MKE | 130 km | 1h 0m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| Grand Rapids | GRR | 220 km | 1h 7m | +1h | --:--:-- |
| Indianapolis | IND | 261 km | 1h 10m | +1h | --:--:-- |
MDW to MKE
Milwaukee
Distance 130 km; estimated travel window 1h 0m; destination zone America/Chicago is +0h from MDW. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
MDW to GRR
Grand Rapids
Distance 220 km; estimated travel window 1h 7m; destination zone America/Detroit is +1h from MDW. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
MDW to IND
Indianapolis
Distance 261 km; estimated travel window 1h 10m; destination zone America/Indiana/Indianapolis is +1h from MDW. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
Airport Details
Timezone
Ground Transport and Nearby Context
Central Chicago is close enough that taxi, ride-hail, and rail or shuttle links are usually the fastest arrival options.
Chicago is the nearest mapped city anchor in the current dataset, which makes it the cleanest companion page when travelers want to switch from airport timing into local city timing.
Chicago Midway International Airport has 4 nearby indexed airport alternatives, which makes backup departures and diversion logic part of real planning instead of a theoretical edge case.
Nearby city time anchors
Airport pages are most useful when they bridge into real city clocks. These city anchors are ranked by distance from MDW, then shown with their own timezone, local time, and time difference from the airport clock.
West Elsdon
west-elsdon · 2.5 km · America/Chicago
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
West Lawn
west-lawn · 2.9 km · America/Chicago
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Gage Park
gage-park · 4.8 km · America/Chicago
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Chicago Lawn
chicago-lawn · 4.8 km · America/Chicago
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Ashburn
ashburn-4883679 · 5.5 km · America/Chicago
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Brighton Park
brighton-park · 5.7 km · America/Chicago
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Bridgeview
bridgeview · 5.9 km · America/Chicago
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Burbank
burbank · 6.2 km · America/Chicago
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Cicero
cicero · 6.6 km · America/Chicago
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
West Englewood
west-englewood · 7.2 km · America/Chicago
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
South Lawndale
south-lawndale · 7.2 km · America/Chicago
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Berwyn
berwyn · 8.0 km · America/Chicago
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Airlines and Network Role
Chicago Midway International Airport does not have a long carrier list in the current source trail, so this page emphasizes the durable pieces travelers can safely use here: local time, field identifiers, nearby airports, and timezone differences.
The route timing references show the first cross-timezone planning burden after this airport: Milwaukee (MKE), Grand Rapids (GRR), Indianapolis (IND). Treat them as distance and clock cues, then verify flight availability with the carrier.
Planning checkpoints
- Traffic signal: 22,050,489 passengers (2023).
- Terminal footprint: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Runway footprint: 4 runways; longest runway 6,522 ft / 1,988 m; identifiers 04L/22R, 04R/22L, 13L/31R.
- Runway surfaces: concrete (2), asphalt, PEM; 4 lighted runways in the source snapshot.
- Operator / management: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Opened / inaugurated: 1923.
- Network role: mixed or not clearly stated in the source trail.
Nearby Airports
Nearby airports are ranked by coordinate distance from MDW. The time difference column is computed from IANA zones against the page snapshot, while the local clocks update in the browser.
Chicago O'Hare International AirportORD
Chicago · large airport
- Distance
- 25 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 680 ft (207 m)
Compare against ORD when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
General Mitchell International AirportMKE
Milwaukee · large airport
- Distance
- 130 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 723 ft (220 m)
Compare against MKE when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Gerald R. Ford International AirportGRR
Grand Rapids · large airport
- Distance
- 220 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +1h
- Elevation
- 794 ft (242 m)
Compare against GRR when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Indianapolis International AirportIND
Indianapolis · large airport
- Distance
- 261 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +1h
- Elevation
- 797 ft (243 m)
Compare against IND when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Companion Planning Tools
Questions
FAQ
What timezone is Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) in?▾
Chicago Midway International Airport is in the America/Chicago timezone (UTC-05:00, CDT).
What are the codes for Chicago Midway International Airport?▾
Chicago Midway International Airport uses IATA code MDW and ICAO code KMDW.
Where is Chicago Midway International Airport located?▾
Chicago Midway International Airport is located in Chicago, United States at coordinates 41.7860° N, 87.7524° W, with an elevation of 620 ft (189 m) (low-elevation field in the mid-latitudes).
How far is Chicago Midway International Airport from central Chicago?▾
Chicago Midway International Airport sits roughly 11 km from the nearest mapped city center for Chicago.
Which route reference is most useful from MDW?▾
Milwaukee (MKE) is one of the closest route references on this page, with an estimated travel window of 1h 0m, destination timezone America/Chicago, and a +0h difference from MDW.
Which authority regulates MDW?▾
Chicago Midway International Airport sits inside United States, where civil aviation oversight is led by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
What other airports in United States are close peers to MDW?▾
MDW's curated peers in United States on this site include ORD Chicago, MKE Milwaukee, GRR Grand Rapids, plus 3 more.
How many runways does Chicago Midway International Airport have?▾
Chicago Midway International Airport's source-backed operational summary lists 4 runways, with the longest runway recorded at 6,522 ft / 1,988 m; identifiers include 04L/22R, 04R/22L, 13L/31R.