Saving Detroit City Airport
Detroit should not let its municipal airport go to seed.
Chicago at one time had three airports within its city limits. We are all familiar with O’Hare Airport and Midway. But there was also Meigs Field, a single-runway airport that was on Lake Michigan. From the 1950s to well into the 1990s, commercial airlines flew in and out of Meigs. It might not have been as busy as Midway or O’Hare, but it was steady for the small airport.
In 1994, Mayor Richard M. Daley wanted to close Meigs. The state legislature said no, and his plan was shelved. Seven years later in 2001, there was an agreement between Mayor Daley and the state of Illinois to keep their airport open for 25 years. Even thoughnMeigs was supposed to be open until 2026, that never happened. It didn’t even make it to 2005. On the night of March 30, 2003, Mayor Daley had city crew come in and deliberately destroy the runway. To say a few people were upset is an understatement. The FAA was not pleased, nor was the state of Illinois. The city had to pay a fine, but in the end, Mayor Daley had won. It didn’t matter that what he did was illegal, he was able to get rid of Meigs Field.
