Five new American Airlines gates will be added to O’Hare International Airport as part of an agreement between the airline and the city, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s announced Sunday.
The mayor’s administration said the five new terminal gates will be built at O’Hare’s Terminal 3 and are slated to be ready or operation by 2018. The gate expansion project, which will be funded by American Airlines, will be the first major expansion of O’Hare since Terminal 5 was built in 1993.
The addition of five gates brings the total gates from 189 to 194.
“O’Hare airport is moving into the 21st century with the addition of these gates,” Chicago Department of Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans said in a statement. “Passengers will see fewer delays, shorter taxi times and an overall improved experience when flying to or from Chicago, which is our top priority at both O’Hare and Midway airports.”
The gate announcement comes one week after an announcement of plans to go ahead with the final east-west parallel runway for the north airfield that was part of the modernization plan for the airport. Critics at that time said that the additional runway would not alleviate delays without the addition of more terminal gates.
Additional gate expansions with other airline carriers at O’Hare are expected, according to the city’s statement.
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