This airport is considered the “best connected airport” in the world and boasts an unprecedented eight runways and a helipad.
The huge US site covers an area of 7,627 acres or 11.9 miles and allows three simultaneous landings with its six parallel and two crosswind runways.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) is the fourth busiest airport in the United States and seventh busiest in the world. It was the world’s most important hub from 1963 to 1998 and is still ranked ninth today, hot on the heels of LAX.
In 2019, ORD Airport saw a groundbreaking 919,704 aircraft movements, an astonishing average of 2,520 daily, putting the airport at the top of the global charts, largely thanks to a large number of regional connections.
In 2023, O’Hare had passenger traffic of over 73 million and offered nonstop service to 249 destinations worldwide.
Since the 1980s, O’Hare has been plagued by increasing delays due to its outdated runway configuration; the airport has not been modernized since the last new runway opened in 1971.
The ambitious O’Hare Modernization Plan (OMP) was launched in 2001 by the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) and has been the subject of numerous legal disputes, including objections from surrounding suburbs concerned about noise pollution and concerns from private citizens whose family members are buried in a cemetery slated for relocation.
In addition, the O’Hare Modernization Program (OMP) experienced delays due to the 2008 financial crisis, which resulted in traffic losses and delayed the completion of the project.
Construction of the sixth and final parallel runway began in 2016 and was completed by 2020. An additional runway extension will complete the project in 2021.
In a bold move, in 2018 the airport launched “O-Hare 21,” an ambitious terminal area plan with the goal of building two new concourses and expanding Terminals 2 and 5, as well as improving gates, lounges and overall operations.
The original budget for the project was a whopping $8.5 billion – over £6.8 billion – but costs have since soared, sparking calls from American Airlines and United Airlines to cut or cancel the project from 2023.
Earlier this year, the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) and its partners celebrated a significant achievement: the placement of the final girder in Terminal 5’s new six-story parking garage.
This topping-out ceremony marked a major milestone in the city’s ongoing effort to transform O’Hare. With a promise to double the terminal’s parking capacity with 2,600 new spaces, it marked a major milestone in the city’s ongoing effort to transform O’Hare.
