(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Friday marks the 20th anniversary of the destruction of Meigs Field, when then-Mayor Richard M. Daley permanently closed the small lakefront airport.
When Chicago woke up on the morning March 31, 2003, Meigs was basically gone.
Few people at the time believed Mayor Daley's reasoning for demolishing Meigs – security concerns about airplanes flying into The Loop -- even though it came a year and a half after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Chopper 2 traffic reporter Kris Habermehl calls it "one of those head-scratching, mind-blowing moments."
It was clear later on, that Mayor Daley wanted to close the airport in order to convert Northerly Island to a park.
Interesting fact: A small plane, planning to land at Meigs the morning it was destroyed, had to be told by air traffic that it couldn’t land. The craft had to turn around.
For 55 years, the small airport hosted private and regional charter flights. Dignitaries loved it because for the convenience to downtown Chicago, and the views were spectacular.
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