Palwaukee Airport

Category: Transportation

Founded in 1925 as Gauthier’s Flying Field, Palwaukee Municipal Airport has grown over the years from a 40-acre grassy open area with dirt runways to a general aviation airport servicing the metropolitan Chicago area as one of the nation’s busiest reliever airports. Palwaukee is home to 325 aircraft, including 57 corporate jet aircraft. More than 167,000 takeoffs and landings were logged annually at Palwaukee in recent years. Palwaukee consists of three active runways and covers more than 412 acres. Palwaukee Airport, located in Wheeling, Illinois, is the third busiest airport in Illinois and plays a crucial role as a reliever for the region, which includes O’Hare International Airport.

The Airport operates 24 hours a day year round. The air traffic control tower is staffed by the FAA and operates daily between 6 a.m. weekdays (7 a.m. weekends) and 10 p.m. The primary users of Palwaukee include private airplane owners, flight schools, businesses who maintain their company aircraft at the Airport and major national corporations.