For the second year in a row, Chicago’s O’Hare Airport recorded its busiest summer months ever, Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) announced. From June through August 2026, the city’s largest airport handled more than 25 million passengers.
“More than 25 million passengers in a single summer speaks to Chicago’s remarkable reach and the key role our city plays in connecting different corners of the world,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “Our airports support the creation of well-paying jobs and open new opportunities for businesses across the city. I want to thank the aviation workers who made this record possible and who every day show travelers the best of Chicago,” the mayor added.
According to CDA data, nearly 650,000 more passengers passed through O’Hare in June, July and August than in the same period a year earlier. On average, almost 275,000 people used the airport each day, an increase of about 2.7% over the record summer of 2025. “Another record-breaking summer season confirms that continued investment in the future of O’Hare is the right call,” said CDA Commissioner Michael McMurray. “Through the ORDNext program, we are building new gates and modern terminals that will support the growth of our airlines and serve travelers for generations to come. I thank CDA employees, our airline and federal agency partners, and the entire airport community for delivering another historic season,” McMurray added.
In each of the three summer months, O’Hare handled more than 8 million passengers, and passenger traffic stayed above 2025 levels throughout the season. In June, the airport handled 8,234,643 passengers (up 2.3% from June 2025). July, the busiest month in the airport’s history, saw 8,540,764 passengers (up 3.2% from July 2025), and August saw 8,238,466 passengers (up 2.7% from August 2025). The summer total included more than 20.4 million passengers on domestic routes and nearly 4.6 million on international routes, confirming O’Hare’s role both as a key transportation hub in the United States and as a gateway to destinations around the world.
The airport also recorded 245,719 takeoffs and landings over the summer, an increase of about 6% from the same period in 2025. The record summer fits an upward trend seen throughout 2026. Through the end of August, O’Hare had handled a total of 59.6 million passengers, up 5.6% from the first eight months of 2025. The number of flight operations in the same period was 620,121, an increase of 10.3%.
In the face of growing passenger demand, Chicago is carrying out the ORDNext program to prepare O’Hare for future generations of travelers. Construction is under way on the New Concourse D, which is scheduled to open in 2028 and will have 19 gates. The city also plans to begin the first phase of construction on the New Concourse E later this year, with the first 14 gates due to open in 2030. These investments will create the infrastructure needed for the O’Hare Global Terminal project and ensure the airport’s long-term growth.
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Source: Polski.FM
