Chicago O'Hare International Airport

Airport Information

Chicago O'Hare International Airport

O’Hare International Airport typically referred to as O’Hare Airport, Chicago O’Hare, or simply O’Hare, is an international airport located on the Northwest Side of Chicago, Illinois, 14 miles (23 km) northwest of the Loop business district; operated by the Chicago Department of Aviation and covering some 7,627 acres (3,087 ha), O’Hare has non-stop flights to destinations in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

Designed to be the successor to Chicago’s “busiest square mile in the world”, Midway Airport, O’Hare began as an airfield serving a Douglas manufacturing plant for C-54 military transports during World War II. It was named for Edward “Butch” O’Hare, the U.S. Navy’s first Medal of Honor recipient during that war. Later, at the height of the Cold War, O’Hare served as an active fighter base for the Air Force.

As the first major airport planned after World War II, O’Hare’s innovative design pioneered concepts such as concourses, direct highway access to the terminal, jet bridges, and underground refueling systems. It became famous as the first World’s Busiest Airport of the jet age, holding that distinction from 1963 to 1998; today, it is the world’s sixth-busiest airport.

O’Hare is unusual in that it serves as a major hub for more than one of the three U.S. mainline carriers; it is a large hub for both United Airlines (which is headquartered in Chicago) and American Airlines. It is also a focus city for Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines.

While Terminals 2 and 3 remain of the original design, the airfield has seen radical modernization, and the terminal complex is beginning an expansion of passenger facilities that will remake it as North America’s first airport built around airline alliances.

Airport News

$20 Million In Federal Funding for O'Hare International Airport From The Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Funding will support ongoing upgrades to improve passenger experience at Terminal 5 in O’Hare International Airport Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) have announced that O'Hare International Airport will receive an additional …

Chicago O’Hare International Airport Welcomes New Concessions To Terminal 5

Four new offerings owned and operated by diverse local businesses include Chick-fil-A, Protein Bar & Kitchen, Gallery ORD and Dunkin’/Baskin-Robbins. The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) joined Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) Airports and its concessions partners on Tuesday …

Chicago Department of Aviation Partners with Visual Interpreter Company Aria to Expand Accessibility Services for Passengers at O'Hare and Midway

Phone app will provide navigation assistance to passengers who are visually impaired Passengers at O’Hare and Midway International Airports who are blind or have low vision can receive assistance with the help of the Aira app, …

O’Hare International Airport Welcomes Publican Quality Bread, Six Points Market, Metropolis Coffee Company, Inmotion And Blvd & Branch To Terminal 5

The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) welcomed five new concessions to Terminal 5 at O’Hare International Airport during a series of grand opening events today. Publican Quality Bread, Six Points Market, Metropolis Coffee Company, InMotion …

Next Phase Of Chicago O’Hare International Airport Expansion Project Unveiled

The new concourse, which will serve both international and domestic passengers, is one of the largest components of O’Hare 21, a curb-to-gate transformation of O’Hare’s terminal complex into a modern, efficient global hub designed to …

Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) Hits Milestone on Construction of New Terminal 5 Parking Garage at O’Hare International Airport

Final Beam Placed on New, Six-Story Structure That Will More Than Double the Terminal’s Parking Capacity When It Opens Later This Year The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) and its construction partners on Friday celebrated the …

O'Hare International Airport Expands Culinary and Retail Concessions in Terminal 3

Half Moon Empanadas, ChiBoys and Hudson Nonstop are Now Open The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) joined its concessions partners for a ceremonial ribbon-cuttings to celebrate the grand openings of three new concessions establishments in O’Hare …

O’Hare International Airport Welcomes Downtown Favorites The Hampton Social And Bar Siena To Terminal 5

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Marks Newest Locations for Two Staples of Local Culinary Scene Representatives from the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) joined passengers and concessions partners at O’Hare International Airport on Tuesday to cut the ribbon …

Contact

O'Hare International Airport
10,000 West O’Hare Avenue
Chicago
Illinois
United States
IL 60666
  • (800) 832-6352

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