FAA Sets Daily Limit: The FAA will cap flights at Chicago O'Hare at 2,708 arrivals and departures per day from May 17 to Oct. 24 to reduce the risk of summer delays.
Why: Carriers had scheduled more than 3,000 peak‑day flights — roughly a 15% increase year‑over‑year — despite construction and congestion. Last summer only 56% of departures and 58% of arrivals were on time, prompting the regulator to act.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration will cap daily flights at Chicago O'Hare International Airport this summer to curb a potential surge in delays.
Under an order issued on Thursday, the FAA will limit operations at O'Hare to 2,708 arrivals and departures per day from May 17 through October 24. The agency said the cap is intended to prevent delays from worsening beyond last summer's already strained performance.
The decision follows weeks of tense negotiations with airlines after carriers scheduled more than 3,000 daily flights for peak summer days — nearly 15% higher than a year earlier — despite ongoing construction and other operational constraints at one of the nation's busiest hubs. FAA officials warned that the higher schedule risked overwhelming the airport's capacity and triggering widespread delays.
Last summer only about 56% of departures and 58% of arrivals at O'Hare were on time, as construction projects and congestion slowed movement across the airfield. The FAA said that experience demonstrated the risks of overscheduling and informed its decision to set the temporary cap.
The order runs through the peak travel season and reflects a targeted effort to balance airline schedules with infrastructure limits. Airlines will need to adjust schedules to comply with the daily ceiling while the FAA monitors operations and overall performance.
(Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chicago; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
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