Coles County Memorial Airport

In Coles County, Illinois, halfway between Mattoon and Charleston, there is a public airfield called Coles County Memorial airfield. Situated five miles east of Mattoon and six miles west of Charleston, the Coles County Airport Authority is the owner of the facility. It was classified as a general aviation facility in the 2011–2015 National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. The airport has an air show that includes rides in a monster truck and helicopter, as well as static displays and aerial acts. Although admission to the concert is free, contributions are accepted. The Civil Air Patrol and the airport are strong partners. Students can learn to fly by collaborating with the Johnson Flight Academy.

Ozark began operating DC-3 airlines in 1955 and ceased operations in 1980. From Coles County, American Eagle operated flights to O'Hare in Chicago until 1991. Chicago's Midway International was another destination served by Midway Connections. Airline operations at the Purdue University Airport came to an end in 2000 with the departure of Great Lakes Airlines, which provided flights to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. United Express was the brand name used for the service. The airport was awarded the 2023 Frank G. Brewer Memorial Aerospace Award by the Civil Air Patrol, which recognizes an airport for its outstanding efforts to promote young aerospace education.

The Coles County Memorial Airport features two grooved asphalt runways measuring 6501' x 150' and 5800' x 100', as well as a 1080' sod strip. The airport is certified by the FAA under Part 139. The runway of the airport was entirely repaved in 2015 after it was first constructed in 1974. Although most aircraft were unable to land on the runway for over three months, crop dusters and helicopters were still able to utilize the airport. There were 1,500 aircraft operations at the airport in the 12 months that ended on December 31, 2022, or an average of 4 per day. There were 2% for the military, 9% for air taxis, and 89% for civilian aviation. The airport had 31 based aircraft during that same time period, comprising 1 multi-engine aircraft, 3 helicopters, 2 jets, and 25 single-engine aircraft. Although there isn't a direct public transportation option to the airport, there is one close by via Coles County Zipline.