City: Fast-tracking O’Hare concourse will speed up global terminal megaproject
Double satellite concourses are back on the front burner at O’Hare International Airport while construction of a global terminal won’t start until 2029, officials said.
The Chicago Department of Aviation announced Thursday it will break ground on the first phase of the new Concourse E, which includes 14 gates, later this year.
The move will speed up the $8.8 billion ORDNext mega-project and comes with the blessing of American and United Airlines, which had previously succeeded in lobbying the city to prioritize the global terminal.
“By moving forward with new Concourse E this year, we are adding gates where they are needed, keeping this historic modernization moving, and creating a clear path to deliver the O’Hare Global Terminal, the centerpiece of ORDNext, as quickly as possible,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement.
The updated schedule replaces a compromise reached in 2024 letting satellite Concourse D be built first along with a phased construction of the global terminal, followed by Concourse E.
The decision will streamline the project, aviation expert and DePaul University Professor Joseph Schwieterman said.
“This is welcome news, averting what would have been a very messy situation during the new global terminal’s construction,” he said.
CDA Communications Director Kevin Bargnes noted “the way CDA is sequencing the work allows us to build the tunnel between Concourses D and E more efficiently, and that results in a cost savings.”
Here’s a timeline.
• The city started work on Concourse D a year ago. The structure will accommodate 19 gates and be completed in late 2028.
• The first phase of Concourse E begins later this year and finishes in 2030 easing demand for gates while Terminal 2 is torn down and its replacement rises.
• Work on the global terminal kicks off in 2029 and should end in 2033. That will trigger build-out of Concourse E, which will last into 2034 and provide 10 additional gates, for a total of 24.
Concourse E will handle regional and narrow-bodied planes and serve domestic and pre-cleared international flights. The building will connect with Concourse D and the global terminal, offering passenger lounges, restaurants and shops in a multilevel, roughly 460,000-square-foot space.
The new plan comes after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight caps at the airport through fall 2027 amid concerns about construction-related delays and a growth spurt at O’Hare. The CDA reported 100 more daily departures this summer compared to 2025.
“United has long supported a plan that modernizes O'Hare and keeps pace with the airport's growth,” United Vice President of ORD Omar Idris said.
American Airlines Vice President of Corporate Real Estate Amanda Zhang said in a statement that advancing the global terminal “efficiently, responsibly and as quickly as possible is a shared priority.”
mpyke@dailyherald.com