The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration are considering a flight cap at Chicago O'Hare International Airport for the summer season, according to an FAA filing published in the Federal Register.
The airport's summer season runs from March 26 through Oct. 25.
The potential cap would come after American Airlines and United Airlines expanded their O'Hare flights for the summer season as part of an effort to retain and or gain gates.
Based on current airline schedules for the airport from Cirium, more than 3,080 daily flights are slated to operate on peak days, according to the filing. In summer 2025, daily flights peaked at about 2,680 operations.
"This proposed increase is significant and would stress the runway, terminal, and air traffic control systems at the airport," according to the filing, which added that O'Hare currently has about 100 hourly departures and arrivals, for approximately 2,800 daily operations—the number DOT and the FAA seek as the cap.
FAA will hold a meeting on March 4 in Washington, D.C., to discuss the proposed O'Hare cap. "Any interested person may submit written information to the public docket no later than March 11," according to the filing.
"We appreciate Secretary [Sean] Duffy and FAA Administrator [Bryan] Bedford's leadership in convening this meeting," United said in an emailed statement. "We share their commitment to running a safe and reliable operation out of ORD and look forward to a collaborative discussion."
American in a statement hailed the “proactive action to ensure the operational integrity of the airfield and airspace in Chicago” and said, “The FAA now has the opportunity to achieve an improved customer experience for passengers traveling from, to, and through Chicago this summer.”
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