O’Hare is second busiest airport in the world for flights, No. 8 in passengers
O’Hare International Airport traffic placed second in the world for flights in 2024, marking a 7.7% growth spurt from 2023, officials reported.
Rival Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport came first, with 796,224 flights compared to 776,036 at O’Hare, the Chicago Department of Aviation and Airports Council International announced.
The numbers still fall below pre-pandemic 2019 when O’Hare accommodated 919,704 operations, but city leaders predict additional growth in 2025.
“As passenger volumes and operations reach their highest levels of the decade, the CDA team remains focused on delivering a world-class experience at O’Hare and, through the O’Hare 21 capital program, advancing our efforts to modernize it into a premier international hub that meets the needs of travelers for generations to come,” CDA Commissioner Jamie Rhee said in a statement.
Third in the world was Dallas Fort Worth International Airport with 743,203 operations, then Denver International Airport with 689,368 and Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas with 613,973.
In terms of passengers, O’Hare was eighth in the world, accommodating more than 80 million people, which was an 8.3% spike compared to 2023. In first place again was Hartsfield-Jackson, with over 108 million flyers, followed by Dubai International Airport with 92.3 million, Dallas with 87.8 million, Haneda Airport in Tokyo with 85.9 million, and Heathrow Airport in London with 83.9 million.
CDA officials are anticipating the busiest summer in the history of O’Hare and Midway International Airport, as nearly 17.8 million jets are expected to depart from Chicago.
American and United airlines are engaged in a competition for passengers at O’Hare with ad campaigns and new destinations. American will operate up to 480 flights daily from O’Hare this summer and United will offer nearly 600.
United also recently announced that based on a preliminary CDA assessment, it expects to be awarded six more gates at O’Hare this fall.
The decision will be published in the coming weeks and the carrier plans to add at least two long-haul international destinations.
“These new gates, which are a direct result of our continued growth and commitment to O’Hare, will unlock exciting new opportunities for our Chicago-based customers and employees as we accelerate our investment at our hometown airport,” United said in a statement.