At the end of January, Mayor Lori E Lightfoot joined the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) to celebrate the grand opening of the new eastern extension of Terminal 5, a major milestone in the US $1.3 billion, four-year investment to expand and modernise the key gateway at O’Hare International Airport.
Ground was broken in 2019 on the project that will increase the terminal’s capacity by 25% to improve efficiency and reduce delays. The L-shaped East Concourse extension adds 10 new widebody gates, nine of which utilise multiple aircraft ramp systems, or “MARS gates”.
These MARS gates allow the flexibility to accommodate larger, next-generation widebody aircraft or narrowbody aircraft. The space it takes to park two widebodies can be repurposed as necessary to fit three narrowbodies.
Ten renovated gates opened in the western wing of Terminal 5 in October 2022 as the new home for Delta Air Lines, which shifted operations from the carrier’s long-time home in Terminal 2.
“The work at Terminal 5 is part of the broader O’Hare 21 capital improvement, Chicago’s vision of a curb-to-gate transformation of O’Hare’s terminal complex into a modern, efficient global hub to serve the needs of the travelling public through the 21st century,” said CDA.
