Chicago O'Hare Bumps Atlanta as Busiest Airport in United States

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 7:05 PM ET, Mon February 4, 2019

Atlanta's reign as the country's busiest airport has come to an end.

O'Hare International Airport in Chicago took the top slot in 2018, according to new data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

For the previous four years, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport had maintained its position at the top of the pack.

According to the FAA's new data, O'Hare had more than 903,000 arrivals and departures in 2018, while Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson had more than 895,000, the Associated Press reported.

The other airports rounding out the top five in the country include Los Angeles International, Dallas-Fort Worth International, and Denver International.

The last time O'Hare held the top spot was in 2014.

Last year, O'Hare operations increased 4.2 percent, compared with a 1.8 percent increase in Atlanta.

The boost in traffic at Chicago may be tied to United Airlines adding more flights from its hub. United is the largest carrier at O'Hare.

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