O’Hare International Airport was the busiest U.S. airfield in 2025, overtaking Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport for the first time since 2019, according to a news release from the Chicago mayor’s office.
Preliminary data from the Federal Aviation Administration shows that O’Hare saw more than 857,000 takeoffs and landings last year. Atlanta’s airport saw more than 807,000 takeoffs and landings last year, according to the data.
However, government data indicates Atlanta’s airport was still ahead of O’Hare when it comes to passenger traffic, another measure of an airport’s business. For the 12 months ending in October 2025, Atlanta’s airport saw 89.5 million domestic passengers, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. During the same 12 months, O’Hare saw 66.8 million domestic passenger arrivals and departures.
According to the mayor’s office, a plane took off or landed in Chicago every 30 seconds in 2025, including flights at both O’Hare and Midway International Airport.
“Every one of those flights represents jobs, commerce, tourism, and opportunity,” Chicago’s Aviation Commissioner, Michael McMurray, said in a statement.
The announcement comes as O’Hare is in the early stages of a massive $8.2 billion revamp.