| Chicago Rockford International Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: RFD – ICAO: KRFD – FAA LID: RFD | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | Greater Rockford Airport Authority | ||
| Serves | Rockford, Illinois | ||
| Hub for | UPS Airlines Ryan International Airlines |
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| Elevation AMSL | 742 ft / 226 m | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Website | |||
| Map | |||
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RFD
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| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 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] | |||
Chicago Rockford International 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. The airport served over 215,000 passengers in 2007.[2]
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RFD traces its history back to 1917, when Camp Grant was established during the First World War as an U.S. Army Cavalry Camp. During the events of World War II, 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, the facility was referred to as the Greater Rockford Airport, serving the area as a regional airport. In 1987, the current passenger terminal was constructed in an effort to attract more passenger service. Six years later, United Parcel Service opened its first of two cargo facilities at the airport. The location became a selling point as a transportation facility for cargo as well as for passengers. However, declining passenger numbers led to the temporary loss of scheduled passenger airline service in 2001. Although the Rockford airport had previously had flights to the O'Hare airport, for many residents, it was far more affordable to get to Chicago by bus or by their own car and then fly. In 2003, passenger service was restored to the airport as the facility marketed itself towards leisure travelers; instead of offering regional service primarily to O'Hare or other Midwestern destinations, Rockford offered low-cost flights to Florida.
Being less than 90 miles (145 km) from downtown Chicago and about 30 miles (48 km) from the Chicago suburbs, the airport's name was changed to the Northwest Chicagoland Regional Airport at Rockford in the early 2000s. In 2004 the airport became the Chicago/Rockford International Airport (the slash was removed in 2007[3]) when the airport gained an official US port of entry and achieved international status. The name change not only made it shorter, but also brought it in line with the other two "Chicago" airports (O'Hare and Midway). In many forms of media, the airport also markets itself by its three FAA call letters: RFD.
Today, the Rockford airport is marketed to residents of Rockford and surrounding areas as an alternative to Chicago Midway International Airport and O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, WI and Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wisconsin as well as limited service airports such as Dubuque Regional Airport in Iowa. The airlines at RFD also often use their low fares and free airport parking as a selling point as well.
Chicago Rockford International Airport covers an area of 2,900 acres (1,200 ha) which contains two runways, both with an ILS: 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]
The current passenger terminal was constructed in 1987 in an effort to expand passenger service in Rockford. However, the common usage of bus service to O'Hare International Airport kept most airlines away from Rockford. Consequently, passenger service was lost completely from 2001 to 2003. An upgrade to the terminal in 2005 brought additional jetways, the addition of escalators, and improved baggage handling equipment(the previous system catered more to smaller turboprop aircraft rather than jets).
The airport is in a foreign-trade zone. As runway 7/25 is 10,000 feet long, a wide variety of passenger and cargo aircraft can land at RFD; the largest aircraft currently landed at RFD is the Antonov An-124 Ruslan.
RFD currently has two cargo aprons that are in use. In November 2008, a third one was completed along the west end of runway 7/25 (southwest of the existing UPS ramp), but there are no current tenants.
The larger north cargo apron is located adjacent to the main terminal; it is home to the UPS facilities.
The smaller south cargo apron located in between the two runways is home to BAX Global and (DHL) cargo operations.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Allegiant Air | Las Vegas, Orlando-Sanford, Phoenix-Mesa, St. Petersburg-Clearwater |
| Direct Air operated by various carriers | Seasonal: Ft. Myers/Punta Gorda |
| Frontier Airlines | Denver Seasonal: Cancún[4] , Punta Cana[5] |
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoenix-Mesa, AZ | 21,000 | Allegiant |
| 2 | Orlando-Sanford, FL | 21,000 | Allegiant |
| 3 | St. Petersburg, FL | 18,000 | Allegiant |
| 4 | Las Vegas, NV | 16,000 | Allegiant |
| 5 | Laughlin, NV | 1,000 | - |
RFD is also the company headquarters for Ryan International Airlines, staging many of its aircraft at the airport for charter hire. Due to its proximity to Chicago O'Hare/Chicago Midway and Mitchell Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, RFD serves as the primary diversion airport for 27 major airlines including American Airlines, United Airlines, Air France, British Airways, Aer Lingus and Virgin Atlantic.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| UPS Airlines | Anchorage, Atlanta, Cedar Rapids, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Hartford/Springfield, Houston Intercontinental, Long Beach, Louisville, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK, Newark, Ontario, Peoria, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland (OR), Sacramento-Mather, San Antonio, San Jose (CA), Seattle-Boeing Field |
| Air Transport International (ATI) (BAX Global) | Toledo |
Several airlines have previously served the airport including United Express, Hooters Air, Frontier, Midwest Connect, Midway Connection, Trans Meridian, American Eagle, TWA, Ozark, McClain, Northwest Airlink (Mesaba and Pinnacle), etc. TWA had Boeing 727-200 service from Rockford to O'Hare in the 1980s for a short while. The original Frontier also served Rockford from 1984 until late 1986 when the operation was transferred to Britt Airways for a short time. Coleman Air Transport also had a hub operation at RFD in the latter part of the 1970s.
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 F-22 Raptor Team performed in 2009. The 2010 AirFest once again hosted the USAF Thunderbirds on July 31-Aug 1, 2010. The 2011 AirFest (June 4-5) commemorated the 100th anniversary of Naval Aviation. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels were slated as the headline performers, but their performance was canceled as part of the May 23 safety stand-down. The Black Diamond (formally known as the Heavy Metal Jet Team) replaced the Blues at the last minute to fill the Sunday show. Sponsored by United Bank Card, the Black Diamond Jet Team is a five-jet (L-39 Albatros, Canadair T-33) team based out of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
2005: None
2006: USAF Thunderbirds
2007: US Navy Blue Angels
2008: USAF Thunderbirds
2009: USAF F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team
2010: USAF Thunderbirds
2011: US Navy Blue Angels (cancelled), Black Diamond Jet Team
2012: U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds
2013: U.S. Navy Blue Angels
The historic Bell Bowl, a natural amphitheater on the south side of the airport, was the venue for the 16th (and currently, final) Wing Ding concert on May 24, 2009. Shinedown headlined, with support from Saliva, Saving Abel, Powerman 5000, 10 Years, and more.
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