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 July 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 56% of departures; flights ran 69% full.
Departures
136
July 2026
Seats
20,645
both directions
Passengers
14,160
both directions
Load factor
68.6%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies IND–MDW?
Southwest Airlines operated the most nonstop IND–MDW departures in July 2026 (132), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- WN
132 departures · 20,212 seats
Share of departures97.1%68.5%
Load
- DL
4 departures · 433 seats
Share of departures2.9%74.4%
Load
What plane flies IND–MDW?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew 56% of IND–MDW departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-700
76 departures · 66.0% load
55.9% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
33 departures · 69.8% load
24.3% - Boeing 737-800
23 departures · 72.9% load
16.9% - Boeing 757-200
2 departures · 30.6% load
1.5% - Airbus A320
1 departures · 98.7% load
0.7% - Airbus A319
1 departures · 93.2% load
0.7%
How has IND–MDW traffic changed?
Nonstop IND–MDW departures rose from 113 in August 2025 to 136 in July 2026.
Monthly nonstop IND–MDW traffic, trailing 12 months through July 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
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
June 2026
131 departures · 14,470 passengers
72.4%
Load
July 2026
136 departures · 14,160 passengers
68.6%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
IND → MDW
68.5% full
71 departures · 7,695 passengers
MDW → IND
68.8% full
65 departures · 6,465 passengers
Nonstop IND–MDW traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through July 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 July 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew the largest share of departures (55.9%), followed by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 (24.3%).
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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