Waukegan National Airport (IATA: UGN, ICAO: KUGN, FAA LID: UGN) is a public airport in Waukegan,[1] in Lake County, Illinois.[2] The airport is 40 miles (64 km) north of Chicago.[2] It was originally Waukegan Memorial Airport.[3] It has been operated by the Waukegan Port District since 1956 and is the second busiest airport in Illinois for international arrivals.^{[citation needed]} In January 2014 under a FAA reclassification of many small airports, the airport was renamed Waukegan National Airport[1][4]

Waukegan National Airport
USGS image - 17 April 1998
IATA: UGN ICAO: KUGN FAA LID: UGN
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Waukegan Port District
Serves	Chicago, Illinois
Location	Waukegan, Illinois
Elevation AMSL	727 ft / 222 m
Coordinates	42°25′20″N 087°52′04″W
Website	www.waukeganairport.com
Map
UGN Show map of Illinois UGN Show map of the United States
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 5/23 6,000 1,829 Asphalt 14/32 3,751 1,143 Asphalt
Statistics
Aircraft operations (2006) 69,007 Based aircraft (2017) 162
Source: airport website[1] and FAA[2]

The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013,[5] categorized it as a reliever airport for Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Runway upgrades began in 2022.[1][6]

During the 2020 Kenosha unrest, US President Donald Trump flew into Waukegan on his way to assess the damage in Kenosha, Wisconsin.[7]

Facilities

Waukegan National Airport covers 600 acres (240 ha) at an elevation of 727 feet (222 m). Its two runways are asphalt surfaces over concrete pavements: runway 5/23 is 6,000 feet long and 150 feet wide (1,829 x 46 m) and runway 14/32 is 3,751 feet long and 75 feet wide (1,143 x 23 m).[2]

In 2021, the airport announced a proposal to purchase 52 acres of land from the Lake County Forest Preserves to build a longer, extended runway parallel to runway 5/23. Though nothing would have been built on the land, the airport would have needed to remove some trees and swamp from the area for its required safety buffers. An environmental assessment and public hearings must be completed before the plan can move forward.[8]

As of July 2018, there are 123 flights per day at UGN: 47% transient general aviation, 43% local general aviation, 8% air taxi, 2% military, and <1% commercial. There are 114 aircraft based at the field, including 74 single engine airplanes, 29 jets, 10 multiengine airplanes, and 1 helicopter.[9]

Incidents and accidents

• The 2000 Zion mid-air collision, which occurred on February 8, 2000, involved the crash of two private aircraft that were trying to land at the airport. The crash killed three and injured five, including broadcaster Bob Collins.

References

External links

• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective August 11, 2022
• FAA Terminal Procedures for UGN, effective August 11, 2022
• Resources for this airport:
  • FAA airport information for UGN
  • AirNav airport information for KUGN
  • ASN accident history for UGN
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures
  • OpenNav airport charts for KUGN