O’Hare added more flights in 2023, but still ranks as second busiest airport
O’Hare International Airport attracted 9,000 more flights in 2023 compared to 2022, but its rival Atlanta still ranks as the nation’s busiest hub, new data shows.
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport handled 775,818 operations last year, the Federal Aviation Administration reported Tuesday. O’Hare accommodated 720,582 flights, a 1% increase from 711,561 in 2022.
“O'Hare's status as the nation's second busiest airport can be a point of pride for Chicagoans, all of whom benefit from the city's unique connectivity in the national airspace system, which drives economic activity across the region and helps to keep airfare competitive for local consumers,“ Chicago Department of Aviation officials said in a statement.
Aviation expert Joseph Schwieterman said Terminal 5 is the airport's superstar right now, handling a surge in traffic.The newly expanded terminal is giving a shot in the arm to O'Hare's numbers.
"American and United moving to larger planes at O'Hare (also are) giving a boost to the passenger numbers,“ Schwieterman said.
Coming in third was Dallas Fort Worth with 689,569 operations, followed by Denver and Nevada’s Harry Reid international airports.
Midway International Airport garnered 27th place in the U.S. with 232,395 flights, an 8% bump from 2022.
The CDA said that “growth in aircraft operations continues at both airports, even though many carriers are up-gauging their fleets, flying more passengers with fewer aircraft operations.
“Through October 2023, the most current passenger data available, passengers at Midway and O'Hare are up 12% and 9%, respectively, when compared to the same period in 2022.”
The FAA counted August as the highest month for O’Hare arrivals and departments with 65,535 flights.
But the most air traffic occurred on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, with 2,223 operations. For comparison, during the Thanksgiving holiday, the busiest day was Sunday, Nov. 26, with 2,097 flights at O’Hare.
Looking ahead, “you can expect more international flights to soon be part of the mix,“ Schwieterman said. ”Many travelers are eager to go abroad, making new nonstop destinations from O'Hare almost a sure thing.“
U.S. airports are still lagging COVID-19 tallies. In 2019, O’Hare held the busiest crown with 919,704 flights but Atlanta surpassed it from 2020 on.
"Despite the reduced numbers of business travelers willing to pay high fares, American and United are both firmly committed to O'Hare. It remains the world's only airport that serves as a hub for two global airlines,“ noted Schwieterman, director of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development.