Preliminary FAA data show Chicago O'Hare handled 857,392 takeoffs and landings in 2025, a 10.5% rise from 2024, reclaiming its spot as the busiest U.S. airport. O'Hare surpassed Atlanta (807,625 operations) while Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver and Las Vegas rounded out the top five. The airport currently has 201 gates and is expanding with a $1.3 billion Concourse D (19 gates) due by late 2028. Despite its top ranking, O'Hare ranked fourth on a traveler-stress list compiled by iSelect.
Chicago O’Hare Reclaims Title as Busiest U.S. Airport in 2025
DANIEL SLIM/AFP via GettyChicago O'Hare International Airport
Chicago O'Hare International Airport has reclaimed its spot as the busiest airport in the United States for 2025, according to preliminary Federal Aviation Administration data reported by USA Today and cited in coverage by CBS News and People.
Key Figures and Rankings
FAA preliminary figures show O'Hare recorded 857,392 aircraft takeoffs and landings in 2025 — a 10.5% increase from the 776,036 operations logged in 2024. That rise returned O'Hare to the top position it last held in 2019, edging out Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which recorded 807,625 operations in 2025.
Jim Vondruska/GettyChicago O'Hare International Airport
The rest of the top five busiest U.S. airports in 2025 were:
- Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport: 741,286 takeoffs and landings
- Denver International Airport: 707,268 takeoffs and landings
- Harry Reid International Airport (Las Vegas): 586,821 takeoffs and landings
Chicago's Midway International Airport ranked 38th nationwide with 210,930 takeoffs and landings.
Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via GettyChicago O'Hare International Airport
Capacity and Future Growth
O'Hare currently operates 201 gates. According to FlyChicago, United Airlines uses 90 gates and American Airlines operates 71. The airport also offers extensive concessions and retail amenities, including 146 food and beverage outlets and 86 newsstands, gift and specialty retail and service locations.
To support future growth, a $1.3 billion New Concourse D that will add 19 gates is under construction and expected to be completed by late 2028, increasing the airport’s capacity and ability to handle more flights.
Local Reaction and Traveler Experience
“More than a statistic, it’s a statement about Chicago’s momentum,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a Jan. 20 statement. “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.”
Despite being the busiest, O'Hare did not top lists for traveler stress. An Australian travel-insurance comparison firm, iSelect, named Newark Liberty International Airport the most stressful globally; New York’s John F. Kennedy International and Chicago O’Hare ranked fourth and fifth on that list, respectively.
Sources: Preliminary FAA data (reported by USA Today), CBS News, People, FlyChicago, and iSelect.
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