Peoria International Airport Central Illinois Gateway

Overview of Peoria International Airport

Regional aviation has gotten complicated with all the mega-hub consolidations and route cancellations flying around. As someone who’s traveled through dozens of regional airports across the Midwest, I learned everything there is to know about what makes a good small-city airport. Today, I will share it all with you – starting with Peoria International Airport.

Look, I have flown out of Peoria International more times than I can count, and honestly? It is one of those airports that just works. No pretense, no chaos, just a straightforward Midwestern airport doing its job well.

PIA sits in Peoria County, Illinois, handling both passengers and cargo for the greater Peoria area. The Metropolitan Airport Authority runs the show here. What I love is that it has been around since 1932 – yeah, that long – and it used to be called Greater Peoria Regional Airport before they rebranded in 2011. Some locals still slip up and call it by the old name.

Location and Access

Probably should have led with this section, honestly. Here is the thing about getting to PIA: it is ridiculously easy. About six miles from downtown Peoria, which means you are looking at maybe 15 minutes in normal traffic. I have made that drive so many times I could do it half-asleep. Interstate 474 and US Route 24 both get you there without any stress.

• Fifteen minutes from downtown, give or take. Seriously, that is it.
• Uber and Lyft work fine here, and there are always taxis if you are old school. Rental cars too, obviously.
• Parking? Actually decent. Short-term, long-term, economy – take your pick. I usually grab the economy lot because honestly, why pay more when you are gone for a week?

Airport Facilities

The terminal is not going to win any architecture awards, but that is not really the point, is it? Everything you need is right where you would expect it to be. That’s what makes PIA endearing to us frequent travelers – it strips away the pretense and just delivers functionality.

• Ticketing is on one end, baggage claim on the other, TSA checkpoint in between. Pretty standard stuff.
• Once you are through security, there is a handful of restaurants and shops. Nothing fancy – we are not talking O Hare here – but enough to grab a sandwich and a magazine.
• Free Wi-Fi throughout the terminal. Works decently enough to check emails or scroll through your phone while waiting.

There is also a whole general aviation side I did not realize existed until I met a buddy who keeps his Cessna out here. Fixed-base operators handle fueling, maintenance, hangars, all that. Plus there are cargo facilities for freight operations.

Airlines and Destinations

Now, you are not getting direct flights to Tokyo from Peoria. But for a regional airport? The route map is actually pretty solid.

• American, United, and Allegiant all fly out of here.
• Direct shots to Chicago O Hare, DFW, Atlanta, and Orlando. That covers most connecting needs.
• Allegiant runs those seasonal vacation flights – you know, the cheap Vegas and beach destination routes that fill up fast.

Economic Impact

I do not think most people realize how much an airport like this matters to a city like Peoria. It is not just about catching flights.

• Direct jobs in aviation, security, the restaurants and shops, hotels nearby.
• Tourism dollars flowing in when people visit family or come for business.
• Companies that need to ship things fast? They depend on the cargo operations here.

Environmental Initiatives

Honestly, I was surprised to learn they are actually doing stuff on the environmental front. Not just greenwashing either.

• LED lighting throughout the facilities – sounds small but those energy bills add up.
• Recycling programs that seem to actually work, based on the bins I have seen.
• They have kept the green spaces maintained instead of paving everything over.

Recent Developments and Future Plans

The airport has been growing, which is nice to see. Some regional airports just kind of… stagnate.

• Terminal expansion to handle more passengers. Noticed it is less cramped than it used to be.
• Security screening got faster after they upgraded some equipment.
• Word is they are actively courting new airlines for additional routes. We will see what happens.

For central Illinois, Peoria International punches above its weight. Is it perfect? Nah. But it gets you where you need to go without the headache of bigger airports. Sometimes that is exactly what you want.