O’Hare International Airport Statistics

O'Hare records over 700,000 aircraft movements annually, making it the second-busiest airport in the world for flight operations.

• ORD recorded 857,392 aircraft movements in 2025, a 10.5% increase over 2024 (776,036 movements).
• Activity is about 93% of the 2019 pre-pandemic peak of 919,704 movements.
• Operations dropped to 538,211 in 2020 before recovering to 684,201 in 2021 and 711,561 in 2022.
• Activity continued to rise, reaching 720,582 operations in 2023.

Aircraft Operations by Type

• The majority of operations at ORD airport in 2025 were conducted by air carriers in both domestic and international segments, totaling 722,553 and 85,841 respectively.
• Moreover, cargo operators accounted for 12,290 and 17,662 movements respectively.
• General aviation accounted for 10,264 domestic operations, while the domestic miscellaneous segment recorded only 8,782 movements.

• Passenger traffic at O'Hare in 2025 peaks during the summer months, with July (8.26 million), June (8.04 million) and August (8.02 million) being the busiest.
• Travel remains high in May (7.99 million) and October (7.92 million).
• The least busy months are January (5.58 million) and February (5.11 million), reflecting lower winter demand.

O'Hare International Airport is a premier global air cargo hub handling over 2 million metric tons of cargo annually.

• ORD processed 2.23 million metric tons of cargo in 2025, ranking sixth in North America by tonnage and first by cargo value.
• Volumes were 1.79 million metric tons in 2019, rising to 2.05 million in 2020 and reaching a record 2.54 million in 2021.
• Cargo throughput then totaled 2.24 million metric tons in 2022, 1.91 million in 2023, and 2.07 million in 2024.

O’Hare International Airport generates over $1 billion in operating revenue annually.

• The total annual operating revenue generated at O’Hare International Airport has steadily increased over the years, reaching $1.61 billion in 2024.
• This marks a rise from $1.43 billion in 2023 and $1.26 billion in 2022, recovering strongly from $905.6 million in 2020 during the pandemic.
• Compared to $1.15 billion in 2021 and $1.25 billion in 2019, the 2024 revenue reflects consistent post-pandemic growth.

• On September 17, 1961, Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 706 crashed on takeoff, killing all 37 aboard.
• On August 16, 1965, United Airlines Flight 389 crashed into Lake Michigan near O'Hare, killing all 30 on board.
• On December 27, 1968, North Central Airlines Flight 458 crashed into a hangar at O'Hare, killing 28 people.
• On December 20, 1972, North Central Flight 575 collided with Delta Flight 954 during takeoff, killing 10 passengers.
• On May 25, 1979, American Airlines Flight 191 crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 273 people, the deadliest single-aircraft crash in U.S. history.
• On March 19, 1982, a U.S. Air Force KC-135 crashed near Woodstock during approach, killing all 27 on board.
• On February 9, 1998, American Airlines Flight 1340 crashed while landing, injuring 22 passengers.
• On July 23, 2006, a near miss occurred between United Flight 1015 and Atlas Air Flight 6972; all 131 aboard survived.
• On October 28, 2016, American Airlines Flight 383 aborted takeoff due to an engine fire, injuring 21 people.
• On June 13, 2022, extreme turbulence during the landing of American Flight 151 injured a passenger not wearing a seatbelt; a lawsuit followed in 2024.