$8.7 BILLION AGREEMENT TO TRANSFORM O’HARE
In spring 2018, Mayor Rahm Emanuel approved an $8.7 billion plan to modernize Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The multi-year program, scheduled for development over the following eight years, is estimated to create 60,000 construction jobs and tens of thousands of permanent positions, while updating airport infrastructure to meet growing passenger demand.
By 2026, the Terminal Area Plan will comprehensively redevelop the airport’s terminals. Plans include expanded gates and upgraded facilities at Terminal 5; conversion of Terminal 2 into a new O’Hare Global Terminal; and renovations and concourse expansions for Terminals 1 and 3 to improve passenger flow and airline operations.
Planned customer experience improvements focus on reducing flight delays and expanding travel options. The program includes upgraded security screening, new self-service technologies, advanced baggage handling systems, expanded concessions, enhanced departure lounges, and improved public amenities throughout the terminal complex.
NEW GATES
As an early milestone in the terminal expansion, Mayor Emanuel and Doug Parker, CEO of American Airlines, marked the opening of five new gates at O’Hare International Airport in May. This $78 million project extended Terminal 3’s L Concourse and represented the first major gate expansion at O’Hare in 25 years.
The additional gates are expected to improve on-time performance and increase connectivity for domestic and international destinations served by American Airlines, easing congestion and supporting expanded flight schedules.
MOST MODERN AND EFFICIENT AIRFIELD IN THE U.S.
The O’Hare Modernization Program reconfigured the airport’s intersecting runways into a contemporary parallel runway system. This redesign supports terminal expansion while significantly reducing delays and increasing capacity. Since the modernization began, O’Hare’s on-time performance has improved substantially, with reported delays decreasing by more than 60 percent.
NEW ROUTES
More than 50 airlines operate at O’Hare, serving over 230 destinations worldwide across 46 countries. In 2018, the airport announced or launched 17 new international routes, making O’Hare the leader among the 15 largest U.S. international gateway airports for net new international services added that year. New nonstop international services introduced in 2018 connected Chicago directly with destinations not previously served from O’Hare, including cities in Ethiopia, New Zealand (Auckland), and Colombia (Bogotá).
By the end of 2018, Chicago joined a select group of global cities offering nonstop passenger service to all six major inhabited regions of the world: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America.
Learn more at flychicago.com.