O'Hare to cut flights

The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered Chicago O’Hare to trim its summer schedule after airlines filed more flights than the airport can handle. (faa.gov) (federalregister.gov) The cap sets O’Hare at 2,708 operations a day from May 17 through October 24, 2026. The FAA said carriers had planned more than 3,080 flights on peak summer days, a 14.9% increase over summer 2025. (faa.gov) (federalregister.gov) The agency said last summer fewer than 60% of O’Hare arrivals and departures were on time. It allocated this year’s summer operations using airlines’ approved summer 2025 schedules instead of the larger 2026 plans. (faa.gov) (federalregister.gov) O’Hare is not a slot-controlled airport like LaGuardia or Reagan National, but the FAA does run a formal schedule review process there. That process lets the agency step in when published schedules outrun runway, taxiway, gate, or controller capacity. (faa.gov) (federalregister.gov) The FAA tied this year’s crunch to construction and congestion on the ground as much as demand in the air. Its order cites tollway work along O’Hare’s western edge, rehabilitation on Taxiways A and B, and other taxiway closures tied to the airport’s Terminal Area Plan. (federalregister.gov) Federal officials also pointed to “competitive scheduling dynamics” between O’Hare’s two biggest carriers, United Airlines and American Airlines. Reuters reported the FAA stepped in after that schedule buildup threatened to overwhelm the airport during peak summer weeks. (federalregister.gov) (msn.com) Chicago officials separately said O’Hare handled 860,015 aircraft operations in 2025, reclaiming the title of the world’s busiest airfield by that measure. The FAA has also described O’Hare as the busiest airport in America by flight volume. (chicago.gov) (faa.gov) Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the administration used the same playbook it applied at Newark Liberty, where officials paired schedule cuts with operational fixes. The FAA said it expects construction progress at O’Hare to reduce the need for limits after the summer season ends on October 24. (faa.gov) (federalregister.gov)