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O'Hare International Airport

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File:OHare.jpg
Chicago O'Hare International Airport after hours

O'Hare International Airport is an airport in Chicago, Illinois. It is a hub to American Airlines and United Airlines. Its IATA airport code is ORD, and its ICAO airport code is KORD. It is located 17 miles northwest of Chicago Loop, and it is operated by the Chicago city Department of Aviation, associated with an umbrella regional authority.

O'Hare rivals Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as the world's busiest airport: Currently, O'Hare leads Hartsfield in annual aircraft movements, and Hartsfield leads O'Hare in annual passenger throughput. Both airports serve primarily as hubs for cross-country connections, although O'Hare also has a strong international airline presence.

The airport is especially notorious for its overcrowding, which often leads to cancellations and long delays that affect air travel across the United States. City management has committed to a $6 billion capital investment plan to revamp the airport's runway layout and add a new western terminal complex, increasing the airport's capacity and decreasing delays by an estimated 79 percent[1].

History

The airport, originally named Orchard Field, was constructed in 1943 as a manaufacturing plant for Douglas C-54's during World War II. It was renamed in 1949 after Lt. Cmdr. Edward "Butch" O'Hare, a World War II flying ace.

By the early 1950's, Midway Airport, which had been the primary Chicago airport since 1931, had become too small and crowded and was unable to handle the planned first generation of jets. The City of Chicago and FAA began to develop O'Hare as the main airport for Chicago's future. The first international passenger flights were started there in 1955, but the majority of domestic traffic did not move from Midway until completion of a 1962 expansion of O'Hare.

On May 25, 1979, American Airlines Flight 191 crashed upon takeoff enroute to Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California from Chicago, killing everyone on board and two people on the ground. The crash remains the largest single-aircraft air crash in United States history.

On May 8, 2002, alleged Al-Qaida terrorist Jose Padilla was arrested after his plane landed at the airport for allegedly being a scout for a plot to plant a dirty bomb as an act of terrorism.

O'Hare International has four terminals. Two or more additional terminal buildings are envisioned. There is the possibility of a large terminal complex for the west side of the field, with access from I-90 and/or the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway, if the runway reconfiguration is completed.

Terminal 1

Concourses B and C

Terminal 1 was built in 1987, replacing the 1955 Terminal 1 that had been the airport's original passenger terminal, used for international flights.

Terminal 2

Concourses E and F

Terminals 2 & 3 were built in a large airport expansion in 1962.

Terminal 3

Concourses G, H, K, and L

Terminal 4

Terminal 4 was O'Hare's interim international terminal from 1984 until 1995, located underneath the main parking garage. International passengers would check in at Terminal 4 and be taken directly to their aircraft by bus. Since the opening of Terminal 5, Terminal 4 has been changed into the airport's facility for CTA buses, hotel shuttles, and other ground transportation. The T4 designation will be used again in the future as new terminals are developed.

Terminal 5

Concourse M

Airfield

There are 6 primary air carrier runways, arranged tangentially in 3 pairs of parallel sets. The largest is Runway 14R-32L, 13,000' x 200'. Runways 14L and 14R have Category III ILS (Instrument Landing System). All other runways except 4L have full ILS.

Three runways of the original 1943 airfield have been upgraded to modern standards. Additional runways were constructed in 1955, 1968, and 1971. In 2003, old Runway 18-36 was permanently closed -- its short length and problematic placement no longer justified its continued certification.

The proposed redevelopment would entail removal of the 2 northwest-southeast runways, construction of 4 additional east-west runways, and extension of the 2 existing east-west runways. The two existing northeast-southwest runways would be retained.

Transit

Road vehicles enter and exit via I-190, the Kennedy Expressway. CTA "El" trains operate from Chicago Loop into an underground station which opened in 1986. An on-airport train system connects the 4 passenger terminals with each other and with long-term auto parking and on-site car rental complexes.

Other facilities

A large air cargo complex on the southeast side of the field was opened in 1984, replacing most of the old cargo area, which stood where Terminal 5 now exists.

The original Douglas plant on the northeast side evolved into an Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve facility, but this was closed in 1998 and is now being redeveloped for cargo and general aviation. Signature Flight Support services private aircraft in this area.

The hangar area has multiple buildings capable of fully enclosing aircraft up to the size of the Boeing 747.

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