Chicago Executive Airport (KPWK), Illinois
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Chicago Executive Airport, KPWK, is a towered public-use business aviation field located roughly 15 nautical miles from downtown Chicago and about 8 nautical miles from Chicago O'Hare International. The airport handled 41,860 total annual operations in 2025 according to FAA TFMSC data, with business aviation accounting for the large majority of that traffic. Two paved runways, jet fuel and avgas availability, and onsite CBP inspection services support turbine and piston operators alike.
Runways
Chicago Executive Airport has two paved runways. The longest, 16/34, is 5,001 ft long and 150 ft wide, with an asphalt surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Runways are listed longest first.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
Chicago Executive Airport has Jet A1+ and 100LL available on the field. Fueling is available 24 hours a day, every day, and the airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Chicago Executive Airport has US Customs and Border Protection clearance available onsite, with general clearance for international arrivals. A USDA compliance agreement is in place.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Chicago Executive Airport recorded 37,539 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in August, September and October. Business aviation traffic at KPWK is concentrated in the summer and early fall, with monthly operations rising from roughly 2,472 in February to a peak of 3,629 in October.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month October, 3,629 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Chicago Executive Airport averages 6.9 days above 90°F in July and 27.7 freeze days in January. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 84.0°F, and January the coldest, at 31.9°F.
Weather station is on the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Chicago Executive Airport has published operating constraints in six categories: access, runway notes, emergency arresting systems, noise procedures, environmental and other notes.
For clearance delivery when the tower is closed, and if unable to reach on frequency, contact Chicago Approach.
Customs clearance requires prior permission with two hours notice. Transient aircraft should use the FBO after clearing customs. The FBO applies a CBP user fee.
REIL lights are pilot-activated on Runway 16 and Runway 34. RLLS lighting serves Runway 16/34. MIRL lighting on Runway 12/30 is controlled via CTAF.
A 15-foot road and a 6-foot fence are close-in obstructions.
A fence 6 feet high sits at the threshold, trees 20 feet high are located at the threshold and 50 feet from the threshold, and a 15-foot road is also present.
The approach ratio is 20:1 at the displaced threshold.
A cataloged obstruction exceeds a 45-degree slope.
The approach ratio is 21:1 at the displaced threshold.
Runway guard lights are not available at all runway and taxiway intersections.
The maintenance run-up area is located on Taxiway C abeam the tower, with exhaust facing toward the center of the airport. Maintenance runs are not available at the Runway 16 hold pad. Turbine engine runs are not permitted between 2200 and 0700. Radio contact with the tower is required.
Tower view of Taxilane P is partially obstructed by hangars and trees. Tower view of Taxilane Q and the northeast hangars is partially obstructed by buildings and trees. Tower view of Taxiway T and the southwest hangars is partially obstructed by hangars. Tower view of the Charlie hold pad is obstructed by Hangar 22.
An arrival alert notice has been published for landings on Runway 34 and Runway 30. Details are available on the FAA runway safety hotspots page for this airport's arrival alert notice.
Runway safety areas are used for emergency takeoff and landing only.
An Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) is installed at the Runway 16 departure end. It measures 242.97 feet in length by 170.10 feet in width, set back 35 feet from the runway end.
An Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) is installed at the Runway 34 departure end. It measures 230.82 feet in length by 170.10 feet in width, set back 304.18 feet from the runway end.
Noise sensitive areas are located north and south of the airport.
Noise abatement procedure: the Runway 34 hold pad is the preferred turbine run-up area, aligned to 190 degrees for takeoff or run-up. The Runway 16 hold pad should be aligned to 315 degrees.
Birds and wildlife are present on and in the vicinity of the airport. Pyrotechnics, wildlife lasers, and plastic coyote effigies are used for bird and wildlife control in the vicinity of the airport.
The PAPI is unusable beyond 8 degrees left and 9 degrees right of centerline.
The PAPI is unusable beyond 8 degrees left and right of centerline.
Conditions are not reported Monday, Thursday, and Friday from 2100 to 0630, and Tuesday, Wednesday, and weekends from 1530 to 0630.
Edge lighting is not available on Taxiways F, P, Q, and T; reflectors only are provided.
The Hangar 5 and 6 apron, the northeast T quadrant, and the southwest T hangars are permitted for tenant aircraft parking only. No transient aircraft are permitted in these areas.
For northeast hangar transverse operations, enter via Taxiway Q and exit via Taxiway P.
Pre-paid ARFF standby service is available with 72 hours notice; details are available through the airport's published contact channels.
When a snow and/or ice removal operations NOTAM is active, full stop taxi-backs and touch and goes are not permitted.
Taxiway F is permanently closed except for vehicles.
Area 2 is permanently closed.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Chicago Executive Airport has five airfields within 20 NM. The closest is Chicago O'hare International (KORD), 8.29 NM south.
Part of the Chicago area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KPWK
We arrange catering, fuel and trip support here. Supplier prices reach you unchanged; our coordination fee sits on its own line.
The same order, priced two ways.
$2,400.00 catering order at KPWK.
Unchanged.
What the kitchen invoices us is what your quote reads.
One line, fixed.
It does not move with the size of the order.
At cost.
Passed on at the exact amount the processor took.
Market practice figures are industry averages, not a specific competitor.
Frequently asked questions
What runways are available at KPWK?
Chicago Executive Airport, identified as KPWK, operates two paved asphalt runways. Runway 16/34 is the longer strip at 5,001 feet long and 150 feet wide. Runway 12/30 measures 4,415 feet long and 75 feet wide. Both runways carry engineered materials arresting systems on their departure ends, with the Runway 16 EMAS measuring 242.97 feet in length and the Runway 34 EMAS measuring 230.82 feet in length. Dispatchers planning operations at KPWK should account for these arresting system dimensions when reviewing runway distance available.
Does KPWK have customs clearance available for international arrivals?
Chicago Executive Airport provides onsite CBP inspection services along with a USDA compliance agreement. Clearance requires prior permission with a two-hour notice window according to the airport remarks. Transient aircraft are directed to use the FBO after clearing customs, and the FBO applies a CBP user fee. Dispatchers arranging international arrivals at KPWK should factor in this prior permission requirement rather than expecting walk-up clearance.
What is the seasonal traffic pattern at KPWK?
Business aviation traffic at Chicago Executive Airport, or KPWK, concentrates in the warmer months of the year. According to FAA TFMSC data for 2025, monthly business aviation operations climb from lower levels near 2,472 in February to a peak of 3,629 in October. Summer and early fall months, from June through October, each show operations above 3,200, forming the busiest stretch of the year. Dispatchers should expect higher ramp and taxiway congestion during this period compared to the winter months.
Are there noise abatement procedures at Chicago Executive Airport?
Chicago Executive Airport, KPWK, maintains published noise abatement procedures tied to noise sensitive areas located north and south of the field. The Runway 34 hold pad is the preferred location for turbine run-ups, with aircraft aligned to 190 degrees for takeoff or run-up. The Runway 16 hold pad requires alignment to 315 degrees for the same purpose. Dispatchers and crews should brief these headings before requesting turbine run-up or takeoff clearance at KPWK.
What wildlife hazards are reported at KPWK?
Chicago Executive Airport reports birds and wildlife both on the airport and in the vicinity. Airport management uses pyrotechnics and wildlife lasers for bird control, and plastic coyote effigies are placed in the vicinity of the field as a deterrent. Crews operating at KPWK should maintain heightened vigilance for wildlife activity near the runway environment, particularly during approach and departure phases. This hazard is an ongoing operational condition rather than a seasonal or temporary one.