U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have announced plans to cap the number of daily flights at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) during the peak summer travel period.
O'Hare is the busiest airport in the nation by flight volume, with more than 3,080 flights planned on peak days for summer 2026, according to the FAA. That figure represents a nearly 15 percent peak-day increase over summer 2025.
The agency's summer scheduling reduction limits daily operations to 2,708 to prevent widespread flight delays.
The new flight limits will be in effect from May 17 to October 24, 2026.
"If you book a ticket, we want you and your family to have the certainty that you’ll fly without endless delays and cancellations. We successfully turned Newark Liberty International into the most on-time airport in the Tri-State Area by fixing telecoms issues at record speed and reducing overcapacity," Duffy said in a statement.
"Applying that same strategy at O’Hare—where unrealistic schedules were set to dramatically exceed what they could handle—will reduce delays and make this busy summer travel season a little easier," he added. "Along with our work to modernize air traffic control and boost staffing, the Trump Administration is using every tool at its disposal to deliver a safe, efficient, and seamless flying experience."
"Our number one priority is the safety of the flying public, and that means ensuring airline schedules reflect what the system can safely handle," said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. "We appreciate the airlines working together with us to reach a responsible level of operations that strengthens safety and delivers a more reliable travel experience for the American public."
In addition to limiting daily flights, the FAA is bringing in more air traffic controllers and improving the speed of controller training, optimizing routes and airspace around Chicago and increasing Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) calls between the agency, airlines and the airport during potential high-risk periods.
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