The Waukegan Regional Airport is situated on 535 acres of land located approximately
3.5 miles north and slightly west of the heart of the City of Waukegan, about
35 miles north of Chicago. The airport consists of two (2) runways which are
asphalt surfaces overlaying concrete pavements. The NE-SW runway is 6,000 feet
long and 150 feet wide, while the NW-SE runway is 3,750 feet long and 75 feet
wide.
The Waukegan Regional Airport is a general aviation facility categorized by the FAA as a "reliever
airport" for Chicago's O'Hare International. In this roll we aim to provide efficient handling of
private, corporate, business, executive and governmental aircraft that choose to operate in Northeast
Illinois and Southeast Wisconsin. With the 6,000 foot runway, Instrument Landing System, Manned Air
Traffic Control Tower, and even a US Customs office which provides clearances for direct international
arrivals, Waukegan Regional Airport has reached prominence as a base of operations for "Chicagoland's
Fortune 500 Flyers."
Located in Lake County, Illinois, the Waukegan Regional Airport has 200 based aircraft, including over 50
corporate jets, and approximately 100,000 annual aircraft operations. The airport is a home away from
home for approximately 260 based employees. And with almost 4 million gallons of aviation fuel
dispensed annually, the airport is a significant economic generator for the area. It is the second busiest
Illinois Airport for international arrivals - indicative of the global workplace of many of Illinois' major
corporations based at Waukegan Regional.
While it's centralized location between Chicago and Milwaukee lends expediency to the business traveler
as the North Shore's Corporate Aviation Headquarters, the Airport is also in close proximity to large
retailers such as Gurnee Mills and the Original Outlet Malls in Kenosha, WI, as well as family
entertainment at Six Flags over Great America.
Due to a well-trained maintenance staff and quality snow removal equipment, along with the Instrument
Landing System, the main runway at the airport is seldom closed. The comment has often been made that
if one can't get into Waukegan Regional Airport then you can't get in anywhere in the northeast
Illinois.
Waukegan Regional Airport has infrastructure in place to accommodate large corporate jet hangar sites
through land lease or second party build-to-suit arrangements. Additional mid-size hangar development
is currently on the drawing board. Contact the Executive Director of the Waukegan Port District at
847.244.3133 for further information.
The airport has been operated by the Waukegan Port District, a government entity, since 1956.