Editing Rockford, Illinois (section)

===Air===
{{Main|Chicago Rockford International Airport}}
[[File:Main Terminal at Chicago-Rockford Int'l Airport.JPG|thumb|Main terminal at [[Chicago Rockford International Airport]]]]

The first airport serving the Rockford area was Machesney Airport, located north of the city alongside US 51.  Opened in 1927, the airport was initially a private airport; during World War II, it was utilized by the Army Air Corps. After the war, Machesney Airport was opened as a municipal airport. In 1974, the location was closed, becoming the site of the [[Machesney Park Mall]] in 1980.

After [[Camp Grant (Illinois)|Camp Grant]]'s final closure in 1946, the state legislature allowed for the establishment of an airport to serve Rockford, leading to the creation of the Greater Rockford Airport Authority (GRAA). In 1948, the GRAA received a 1500-acre portion of the Camp Grant property between US 51 and the Rock River, located between the southern border of the city and [[New Milford, Illinois|New Milford]].

From the 1950s to 1970s, the Greater Rockford Airport served as a regional airport, with small airlines offering both turboprop and jet service. To further expand passenger service, the current passenger terminal was constructed in 1987. Competing against easy highway access (and bus service) to [[O'Hare International Airport]], the airport struggled for passenger service during the 1990s, leading to the loss of passenger service from 2001 to 2003. Since 2003, the airport has restored passenger service, primarily marketing its location for leisure travelers. Following the closure of several airlines, the location is served by [[Allegiant Air]] as its passenger carrier.  Following a 2005 upgrade, the passenger terminal was expanded in size in 2018.

During the 2000s, the airport underwent several name changes, adopting the current [[Chicago Rockford International Airport]] moniker in 2007. Among the fastest-growing freight airports in the world, full-scale cargo operations began in 1994 as [[UPS Airlines|United Parcel Service]] (UPS) opened an air package hub at the airport next to the terminal. Second only to [[WorldPort (UPS air hub)|Worldport]] in the [[UPS Airlines]] operations, the Rockford UPS hub operates on a separate 50-acre ramp (parking up to 40 aircraft at a time), accommodating up to a Boeing 747-8F.

Next to the UPS facilities, another cargo ramp was built in 2008, intended to attract additional cargo airlines.  In 2016, the facilities were leased by [[ABX Air|ABX]], intending to transfer freight from aircraft to trucks; the operations transitioned into flights for [[Amazon Air]], who partners with ABX, [[Air Transport International|ATI]], and [[Atlas Air]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Braun |first=Georgette |date=September 9, 2016 |title=Boxes with Amazon's logo leave on plane today, marking watershed moment for Rockford airport |url=http://www.rrstar.com/news/20160909/boxes-with-amazons-logo-leave-on-plane-today-marking-watershed-moment-for-rockford-airport |access-date=August 15, 2018 |website=Rockford Register Star }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Guerrero |first=Isaac |date=July 24, 2018 |title=Rockford airport moves up to nation's 22nd busiest cargo airport |url=http://www.rrstar.com/news/20180724/rockford-airport-moves-up-to-nations-22nd-busiest-cargo-airport |access-date=August 15, 2018 |website=Rockford Register Star }}</ref>  The same year, [[AAR Corp]]oration opened an [[Fixed-base operator|FBO]] facility on the southern end of the airport, building hangars large enough to accommodate an [[Airbus A380]]. In 2021, cargo operations were expanded further, as the airport constructed an additional cargo-handling facility and cargo ramp, introducing service by German air cargo company Senator International, contracting 747s by [[Air Atlanta Icelandic]]. In 2022, [[Korean Air Cargo]] introduced cargo service from Seoul to Rockford on 777-300 freighters, becoming the longest flight from the airport.