Handling more than 54 million passengers last year, Chicago O’Hare International Airport has consistently been one of the world’s top five busiest airports. And it seems like the airport is about to get even busier as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given the green light for a massive expansion project.

A multi-billion dollar project

O’Hare’s expansion approval was announced by US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on November 21st in Terminal 2, alongside Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other dignitaries. The support came after the FAA successfully completed a four-year environmental study paving the way for the project that was deemed to have a reasonable ecological impact.

With the green light, the expansion project, known as the Terminal Area Plan, will see Chicago O’Hare getting new terminals, gates, hotels, and overall development toward the western side of the entire airport, all at the estimated cost of about $12 billion.

The first phases involve the construction of two new satellite concourses to double the size of existing concourses, which are currently expected to be completed in 2027 and 2028, respectively. Lightfoot dropped a few hints by saying:

The project is expected to start with two new satellite concourses, providing about 1.3 million square feet of gate and amenity space, which will dramatically expand the airport’s ability to accommodate aircraft of all sizes. This is quite a big deal for us.

All flights in one terminal

While the first two phases of the Terminal Area Plan already seem huge, it’s about to get bigger as the project involves a crucial centerpiece named the Global Terminal.

The centerpiece involves demolishing the existing Terminal 2 and replacing it with a ‘global terminal’ infrastructure.

As the name itself states, the new terminal will be relatively unique as it will be a single infrastructure that accepts both domestic and international flights together. Chicago Department of Aviation Commissioner Jamie Rhee highlighted:

When it opens, the O’Hare Global Terminal will be one of the most transformative terminal investments in America, more than doubling the amount of space of the existing Terminal 2, and allowing for the integration of international and domestic operations for our hub carriers United and American Airlines.

With the Global Terminal, O’Hare would be the first ‘global alliance hub’ within the US as the new terminal will see domestic and international carriers partnering together in the same terminal. Additionally, passengers connecting to international flights no longer have to ride the People Mover to Terminal 5, currently known as the international terminal.

Additionally, the two new satellite concourses will be connected to the Global Terminal via a tunnel, slated to begin construction in 2024 and be completed in 2030. With the connecting tunnel, the Global Terminal will not be entirely isolated from the rest of O’Hare’s infrastructure, and passenger movement will not be disrupted.

Demolition of Terminal 2 is scheduled to begin sometime in 2026, and the Global Terminal is expected to complete in 2030. Designing this project centerpiece is a team that involves renowned Chicago architect Jeanne Gang, who described the design of the Global Terminal to be:

“Smoothly bending to increase efficiency, wayfinding, and connectivity, the tripartite design merges terminal and concourse into a single building uniquely evocative of the city of Chicago. At the branches’ confluence, a dramatic Oculus welcomes visitors under a six-pointed glass skylight whose geometry references the Chicago flag.”

O’Hare gets a new entrance

As fancy as every expansion element has been so far, the Terminal Area Plan is not yet finished, as O’Hare will also be getting a new entrance on its west side that will connect with Route 390 and I-490. Both toll roads are currently already under construction and are slated to be completed sometime in 2025.

However, there is a slight twist, as the entrance might not initially be for the public but more for the employees as the new entrance includes an eight-story employee parking facility and a screening facility with transport to the different terminals. The lack of plans for public use at the moment comes as the Chicago Department of Aviation is still working with the state on western entranceway logistics.

Source: Civil Aviation Authority – Qatar