Move over Atlanta.
Chicago can now claim the busiest airport in the country.
Preliminary FAA operations data shows 857,392 aircraft landed or took off from Chicago O’Hare International Airport in 2025. That’s significantly more than the 807,625 take offs and landings over the same period at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which for years has been the busiest airport in the world.
O’Hare is a hub for both American and United Airlines, while Atlanta is a hub for Delta Air Lines.
Final passenger counts and global numbers are still to come, but Chicago is already reveling in reclaiming America’s top spot for the first time since 2019.
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“This is more than a statistic, it’s a statement about Chicago’s momentum,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a news release. “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.”
Another 210,930 aircraft took off and landed at Chicago Midway International Airport in 2025, according to FAA Operations Network data.
“Our airports are more than international hubs for transportation—they are our front door, the first touch point for millions of visitors every year, and a symbol of how Chicago is Never Done and Never Outdone,” Kristen Reynolds, president and CEO of the city’s destination marketing arm, Choose Chicago, said in the news release.
O’Hare is set to get even busier with a new 19-gate Concourse D expected to be completed in late 2028, as part of a $1.3 billion improvement and expansion project at the airport.
