Due to its very close proximity to Detroit Metropolitan Airport, no major airlines schedule passenger flights to or from Willow Run.

[4] Opened in 1942, "Willow Run" was synonymous with the American industrial effort that contributed so much to Allied victory in World War II.

Willow Run Airport covers 2,392 acres (968 ha) and has two runways, a continuously staffed FAA control tower, and US Customs operations.

In the process, the boys learned self-discipline and the values of hard work, and benefited from the fresh air that they had not been able to experience while growing up in congested cities.

Henry Ford, himself an isolationist, was prevailed upon in the spring of 1941 to accept a contract to build B-24 Liberator heavy bombers for the Army Air Forces, under license from the plane's designer Consolidated Aircraft.

Architect Albert Kahn designed the main structure, which had 3,500,000 sq ft (330,000 m2) of factory space, and an aircraft assembly line over 1 mile (1.6 km) long.

[11] The plant at Willow Run had labor problems, in particular high absentee rates and rapid employee turnover; the factory was nearly an hour's drive from Detroit, and the imposition of wartime gasoline and tire rationing had made the daily commute difficult.

After another year, by which time the factory had begun producing the B-24J (from April 1944),[7][10] the Army determined that Consolidated's San Diego plant and Willow Run could meet future requirements for Liberators.

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was taking over the long-range bombing mission in the Pacific theater and no new B-24 units were programmed for deployment in the Europe, the Mediterranean or in the CBI, the other theatres of the war.

For this reason, a series of Air Technical Service Command modification centers were established for the incorporation of these required theater changes into new Liberators following their manufacture and assignments.

[7][8] Although the airfield itself and the buildings to the east of the runways had been built on Henry Ford's personal property, it is unclear how the parcels across the county line that became the site of the bomber plant were assembled.

Since April 2013, there has been an effort underway by preservationists to save a small portion of the original bomber plant facility, adjacent to the airport, as a new home for nearby Yankee Air Museum.

It offered carriers a new terminal designed for the new aircraft, a newly expanded runway layout, and approach controls that made it the first inland airport in the country certified for jet airliners.

The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows 68 weekday departures on Capital, 45 on American, 23 on Eastern, 17 on Northwest Orient, 14 on United, 13 on North Central, 13 on TWA, 8 on Delta, 5 on Allegheny and 3 on Mohawk.

American's only westward non-stops were to Chicago; United had a nonstop DC-7 to Los Angeles; come summer TWA would resume its weekly two-stop Constellation flight to Paris via Gander in Newfoundland and Shannon in Ireland.

In 1968, upon hearing that Detroit Tigers fans had overwhelmed Metro Airport in order to greet the newly crowned world champions, the jet carrying the team diverted to Willow Run instead.

[28] In 2011, Michigan State University planted 3 acres (1.2 ha) of canola and mustard seed on airport property to generate biofuels for aircraft use.

The team arrived late and initially had to play in practice gear (their regular uniforms, like all other luggage, had to remain on the plane as part of the NTSB investigation[30]) but went on to win the tournament.

While with very little origin, a lone DC-8 has been spotted in numerous places around the airport, and the only decal is its registration, it may be owned by the nearby Michigan Flight Museum.