No longer a bridesmaid, O’Hare clinches busiest U.S. airport award
After seven years of second best, O’Hare International Airport once again holds the title of the nation’s busiest airport.
Preliminary federal data posted Tuesday shows 857,392 flights occurred at O’Hare in 2025 compared with archrival Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s 807,625 operations.
“The handwriting has been on the wall for some time that O'Hare would reclaim this prestigious title,” aviation expert and DePaul University Professor Joseph Schwieterman said.
“O'Hare is America's hottest connecting hub right now due to concurrent expansion by American and United, plus new international flying.”
The latest numbers represent a nearly 10.5% climb from 2024, when 776,036 flights landed and departed at O’Hare.
“This is more than a statistic, it’s a statement about Chicago’s momentum,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.
“From the runways of O’Hare to the neighborhoods across our city, Chicago is building, growing, and leading. We are open for business, open to the world, and once again setting the pace for the nation.”
The last time O’Hare came first was in 2019. Since then, Hartsfield-Jackson led the pack.
“It was a blow to our reputation as the country's premier transportation hub when O'Hare lost this distinction,” Schwieterman noted.
Midway International Airport was the 30th busiest facility, with 210,930 operations, records show. That represents a 5.7% decrease from 223,637 flights in 2024.
“Every one of those flights represents jobs, commerce, tourism, and opportunity,” Chicago Department of Aviation Commissioner Michael McMurray said.
The milestone arrives as the city constructs a new $1.3 billion, 19-gate Concourse D, scheduled to open in late 2028, and looks to build a second concourse and Global Terminal.
Meanwhile, with a heated rivalry between American and United airlines, passengers are seeing additional flights and destinations from both carriers.
“If you have been to O'Hare on a busy travel day lately, it will come as no surprise that the number of flights has surged,” Schwieterman said.
“These results point to the need for terminal expansion — and not to let key deadlines slip, particularly finishing the new satellite concourse.”
The remaining top five facilities are Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, with 741,286 operations; Denver International Airport, with 707,268; and Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, with 586,821.
Next in order: Los Angeles, Charlotte Douglas, Miami, Phoenix Sky Harbor and John F. Kennedy international airports.