Chicago Midway Airport
A major airport squeezed into one square mile, with the short runways to prove it.
About this view
Midway opened in 1927 and is boxed into a single square mile of Chicago's southwest side, hemmed by 55th, 63rd, Central and Cicero. The city grew around it and never gave it room, which is why its longest runway stops at about 6,522 feet — short, by the standards of the jets that use it.
That constraint is the appeal of this planespotting cam. Approaches are tight and landings are decisive, and Southwest runs its largest base here, so 737s dominate the traffic in a near-continuous cycle of arrivals and departures.
Midway was once the busiest airport in the world, claiming the title in 1932, and it passed LaGuardia as the busiest in the United States from 1948 until 1960. Central time, UTC−6; the morning and evening banks are the busiest hours to watch.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is the Chicago Midway Airport live cam located?
- The camera looks over Midway, Chicago, in United States. Its position is 41.787°N, 87.752°W, which you can open on our world map.
- What time is it at the Chicago Midway Airport camera?
- Midway, Chicago runs on UTC−5, and the live clock at the top of this page shows the current local time and whether it is day or night there. It is worth checking before you watch: this view changes completely between the middle of the night and the busiest hours of the day.
- Are there other live cams near Midway, Chicago?
- Yes — the closest ones are Skydeck, Willis Tower, Wrigley Field and Milwaukee Lakefront. They are listed under "Nearby cams" further down this page, and every camera we carry is plotted on the world map.
- Is this stream really live?
- Yes. This is a real 24/7 live feed broadcast by EarthCam, played through the official YouTube player — free, no account needed. Every stream in our catalogue is checked automatically before each update to confirm it is still live and watchable.
