| University of Illinois Willard Airport | 11 Airport Rd | Savoy | IL | 61874 | 217-244-8640 | http://www.flycmi.com/ |
Willard Airport is one of only a handful of commercial airports in the country owned and operated by an educational institution. Willard Airport, often referred to by its FAA designation, “CMI,” was named for former University of Illinois president Arthur Cutts Willard. Formal dedication of the airport took place on October 26th, 1945 with the first scheduled airline service beginning in 1954. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign established its nationally recognized Institute of Aviation at Willard Airport in 1946. The university takes full advantage of the training and research opportunities offered by the institute. Today Willard Airport is served by one air carrier, American Eagle, which operates morning, afternoon, and evening flights. Willard Airport is also home to a private jet service: FlightStar.
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Willard Airport is a small commercial airport owned and operated by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Carriers operate flights to major hubs, from which travelers can connect to all destinations. The non- stop destinations of the airport are: Chicago and Dallas. It is named for the ninth president of the University of Illinois, President Arthur Cutts Willard.
The airport is home to a variety of tenants:
§ Flightstar
o Provides overnight maintenance for American Eagle Airlines regional jets
o Provides fueling service for all commercial, corporate, and general aviation aircraft at the airport
o Offers maintenance for a variety of private aircraft
o Provides charter service through a fleet of owned and managed corporate aircraft
§ The FAA
o Provides air traffic control service for aircraft arriving and departing from Willard Airport
o Provides radar service for aircraft in the vicinity of the airport
o Maintains navigation systems, lighting systems, and other equipment on the airport
§ The TSA
o Provides passenger screening of commercial passengers
o Provides baggage and cargo screening for commercial aircraft
The staff of Willard Airport consists of five maintenance guys, seven people for parking lots, three building service workers, seven firemen who work twenty four hours a day, one assistant manager, secretary, and three part time accountants. The manager of the airport and the Fire Marshall work Monday through Friday, but are on call 24/7. The airport offers no food, no bar, no cafeteria, and coffee shops, but there is free wireless in the airport.
This airport:
o Provides infrastructure for the users of the airport, such as buildings, utilities, runways, taxiways, ramps, and parking lots
o Maintains the buildings and the grounds throughout the airport property
o Provides hangars for storage of small, privately-owned aircraft
o Maintains a storage facility for aviation and other fuels used on the airfield
o Provides Crash-Rescue and Security Service through the airport fire department
o Provides Law Enforcement service through the University police department
o Provides parking for commercial travelers
