Indianapolis (IND) to Chicago (MDW)
Flight time
≈ 1h 07m
Bearing
332° NW
Indianapolis (IND) to Chicago (MDW) is 162 miles (261 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies IND–MDW
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, Southwest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop IND–MDW; the Boeing 737-700 was the most common aircraft at 69% of departures; flights ran 61% full.
Departures
124
May 2026
Seats
18,445
both directions
Passengers
11,329
both directions
Load factor
61.4%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies IND–MDW?
Southwest Airlines operated the most nonstop IND–MDW departures in May 2026 (123), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- WN
123 departures · 18,295 seats
Share of departures99.2%61.9%
Load
- GCA
1 departures · 150 seats
Share of departures0.8%0.0%
Load
What plane flies IND–MDW?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew 69% of IND–MDW departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-700
85 departures · 69.6% load
68.5% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
27 departures · 49.0% load
21.8% - Boeing 737-800
11 departures · 47.1% load
8.9% - Airbus A320
1 departures · 0.0% load
0.8%
How has IND–MDW traffic changed?
Nonstop IND–MDW departures rose from 14 in June 2025 to 124 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop IND–MDW traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
14 departures · 1,282 passengers
61.5%
Load
July 2025
18 departures · 2,361 passengers
86.7%
Load
August 2025
113 departures · 11,438 passengers
61.8%
Load
September 2025
120 departures · 13,645 passengers
69.3%
Load
October 2025
126 departures · 14,014 passengers
71.6%
Load
November 2025
123 departures · 10,421 passengers
54.9%
Load
December 2025
136 departures · 11,599 passengers
56.4%
Load
January 2026
145 departures · 10,580 passengers
48.9%
Load
February 2026
114 departures · 9,519 passengers
52.4%
Load
March 2026
134 departures · 13,495 passengers
68.6%
Load
April 2026
139 departures · 12,642 passengers
61.3%
Load
May 2026
124 departures · 11,329 passengers
61.4%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
IND → MDW
63.3% full
64 departures · 6,040 passengers
MDW → IND
59.4% full
60 departures · 5,289 passengers
Nonstop IND–MDW traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through May 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Indianapolis (IND) from Chicago (MDW)?
IND to MDW is 162 miles (261 km / 141 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from IND to MDW?
A nonstop covers the 162-mile great-circle distance in roughly 1h 07m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies IND–MDW?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew the largest share of departures (68.5%), followed by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 (21.8%).
What mileage do I earn flying IND–MDW?
Distance-based programs credit off the 162-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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