American Airlines flying high with new hangar at O'Hare
American Airlines opened a new hangar at O'Hare International Airport Friday that is the largest on the airfield and is expected to increase the efficiency of operations.
The $215 million building is 191,000 square feet and took 17 months to complete.
"Today marks a watershed moment for O'Hare as we open the airport's first new hangar in 30 years," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said.
American Airlines spokeswoman Leslie Scott said that "while passengers may never see or experience the hangar, it - and our maintenance team members who work in it - are certainly integral to running a safe and on-time airline."
Officials anticipated the new facility will allow American to maintain and prepare aircraft more expediently and will allow for more overnight work.
"Its high-tech features and updated work centers provide more than 850 O'Hare maintenance team members with the most current tools to maintain the airline's state-of-the-art aircraft."
The construction of the new hangar also makes way for O'Hare's sixth parallel runway scheduled to be completed in 2020.
It can accommodate two widebody aircraft and two narrow-body aircraft or one widebody plane and three narrow-body planes.