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Vertiport Chicago: Built for growth in the Windy City

Ben Forrest | June 7, 2023

Estimated reading time 9 minutes, 22 seconds.

In 2015, a group of visionary business leaders collaborated to launch Vertiport Chicago, an ambitious downtown helicopter facility that serves corporate, medical, construction and tourism operators in one of America’s largest and most congested cities.

It was an audacious idea rooted in a rock-solid business plan. Chicago is the third-largest city in the U.S., with hundreds of business executives traveling between suburban airports and the city’s downtown financial district each day.

Chicago is also located in the heart of the Illinois Medical District, one of the world’s busiest and most innovative health care centers.

Chicago is home to several private aviation and corporate department businesses, and a raft of downtown construction projects provides a steady stream of opportunities for aircrane operators.

It simply made sense to build a state-of-the-art aviation facility to serve an existing market that — at the time — lacked vital infrastructure.

“Our founders’ motivation was really to return business aviation to the city of Chicago, specifically after Meigs Field airport closed in 2003,” said Daniel Mojica, executive director of Vertiport Chicago.

“There were so many private aircraft entering and leaving other airports in Chicago, and there was a consistent complaint about the time lost via ground vehicle on commutes downtown,” he said. “Building this vertiport 12 minutes from the financial district, half a mile from all major highways, next to a hundred-acre intermodal facility where there’s almost zero noise complaints — it was the perfect opportunity.”

Vertiport Chicago was built to help helicopter operators thrive — and it took off quickly. By 2019, at its pre-pandemic peak, the facility was seeing slightly over 10,000 aircraft movements a year.

Those numbers have rebounded significantly in the last few years, particularly among emergency medical services and private operators.
And the vertiport’s business was solid enough to ensure it remained in operation throughout the turmoil stemming from COVID-19.

“Our mission and overall purpose is to add value to our customers, our tenants and our stakeholders,” Mojica said. “Our number one value is safety, and that transcends across any person in our facility, including our neighbors and our staff. Vertiport Chicago is critical infrastructure, not just for the city or our county. It includes the state of Illinois, and the midwestern U.S.”    

Vertiport Chicago is the city’s only full-service downtown heliport, and one of the largest private facilities of its kind in North America.

Located on 10 acres (four hectares) of land, with 30,000 square feet (2,790 square meters) of hangar space, a full-service fixed-base operation (FBO), and 11,700 sq. ft. (1,090 sq. m) of office space, the facility is truly one-of-a-kind.

It has a 24-hour refueling station supported with 20,000 US gallons (75,700 liters) of fuel storage capacity in underground tanks — capable of fueling helicopters as large as the Erickson S-64 Aircrane, Mojica said.

There are eight helicopter parking spots at Vertiport Chicago and one takeoff and landing spot — ideal for an operator of any size. Its central location has made it a hub for helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) providers, as well as National Guard, Coast Guard and other first responders.

The company waives landing fees for HEMS providers, and provides their pilots and crews with free access to the luxurious FBO, including its showers, lounges and free snacks.

“With the shortage of pilots right now, it’s nice to know that they’re very appreciative of our facility,” Mojica said. “And based on our last survey, they wouldn’t change anything. They’re very happy with our current setup.”

Tourism traffic has rebounded significantly in Chicago since the start of the pandemic, and Mojica noted this is a particularly attractive business opportunity for helicopter operators.

“We believe any type of [helicopter] operator would really thrive here in the city of Chicago,” he said. “Construction, life safety, or even law enforcement would definitely have an outstanding and very effective operation if they were located here. But I would say the biggest opportunity would be for tour and charter operators. They can find themselves picking up where previous operators left off — over 30,000 annual passengers.”

Big-name ridesharing platforms use Vertiport Chicago for corporate shuttles, and the facility has already executed eVTOL and medical drone simulations in an urban environment.

In other cities, vertiport developers have reached out to Vertiport Chicago for guidance as they plan to launch similar facilities — a sign of the company’s thought leadership.

“Simply put, we are not a concept — nor an AutoCAD drawing,” Mojica said. “Vertiport developers around the world are looking to seek advice from a vertiport that is already running, has already learned difficult lessons and has proven it can survive world events like the pandemic.”

In recent years, Chicago has solidified its reputation as a world-class city. It was recently voted as the best big city in the U.S., by Conde Nast Traveller for a historic sixth year in a row. But the city also ranks among the world’s most congested metropolitan areas for land traffic.

This presents a tremendous opportunity for ambitious, leadership-oriented helicopter operators looking to build a thriving and sustainable business in one of the first vertiports in the world.

“It’s the perfect environment for any operator who wishes to have sightseeing tours and charter operations,” Mojica said.

Anyone interested in basing their operation at Vertiport Chicago is invited to contact Mojica at dan@vertiportchicago.com.

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