O’Hare barely surpasses Atlanta as the nation's busiest airport

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O’Hare International Airport is back on top as the nation’s busiest, apparently buoyed by the construction of new runways and a decision by Chicago-based United Airlines to beef up service at its big hub here.


O’Hare had a 4.2 percent increase in operations last year, with the total number of flights here (arrivals plus departures) hitting 903,747, according to figures released today by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Chicago Department of Aviation. That was more than twice the 1.8 percent gain of Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, putting O’Hare ahead by just over 8,000 flights.

It’s the first time since 2014 that O’Hare has beaten Hartsfield, and the first time since 2007 that O’Hare has topped the 900,000-flight mark.

Also, total passengers moving through O’Hare hit a record 83.4 million, up 4.5 percent.

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The increase in business here roughly tracks national growth rates, though O’Hare’s operations grew faster than any of the nation’s top five busiest airfields, according to the FAA. And it’s a good sign that the city should be able to pay off bonds now being issued for a $8.5 billion expansion of the airport’s terminals without overly jacking up airline landing fees. The city has based the program on roughly 3 percent annual growth in traffic over the next decade.

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Prelim expansion plans exclude a promised western terminal.



O'Hare will be expanding bigly. Look for additional regional domestic connections to locations in the south and mid west along with more international flights, all enabled by a major terminal expansion and realignment of runways.

The Terminal 5 expansion may enable airlines like Delta to expand service offerings at O'Hare.