Chicago's Meigs Field reopens

February 10, 1997 -- Chicago's downtown lakeside reliever airport, Meigs Field, reopened today, following a city-state compromise to continue operating the airport. Phil Boyer, president of AOPA -- which led the national fight to reopen the airport -- was among the first pilots to land at Meigs reopening day."Good morning, Meigs Tower, it's a pleasure to be talking to you again," Boyer radioed as he approached Meigs Field. Aircraft ranging from a Piper Cherokee to Gulfstream II filled ramp, and cameras from seven different Chicago TV stations recorded the celebration.Illinois Governor Jim Edgar, who flew to Chicago from Springfield in a general aviation aircraft, told the assembled reporters, "I'm delighted to see Meigs open. I think it will prove to be an even more important economic asset to the city and the state than it was before."Boyer told the crowd that the closing of Meigs was more than a city or a state issue. He said general aviation pilots were concerned that if Meigs could be closed, then their community's airport could be closed as well. "We're proud to be able to come back into this airport today with no Xs on the runway," Boyer said. Meigs Field has been in the national aviation spotlight since 1980 when then Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne first proposed closing the airport. Last year Mayor Richard M. Daley said he wanted to turn the airport into a nature park. AOPA and others -- including the National Business Aircraft Association, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, and local groups such as Friends of Meigs -- have been campaigning vigorously to prevent the airport's destruction. AOPA argued Meigs' value for regional business and commerce, for emergency air services, and in its role as an FAA-designated reliever airport to overcrowded O'Hare and Midway Airports. Some 40,000 flights a year would have diverted to Midway alone had Meigs remained closed. Chicago's lakefront airport has operated continuously since 1946 to provide a direct air transportation link to The Loop, Chicago's downtown business district, and Chicago's McCormick Place convention center.