For the first time in more than half a decade, the busiest airport in the United States is not in Atlanta.
According to operations data from the Federal Aviation Administration, Chicago O’Hare International Airport was the busiest American airport in 2025, with 857,392 takeoffs and landings, a 10.5% increase from 2024.
A new leader emerges
Chicago O’Hare dethroned Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (807,625 take offs and landings), which had been the busiest airport in the country from 2020-24 and the most active in the world the last two years.
“This is more than a statistic, it’s a statement about Chicago’s momentum,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said of the airport’s accomplishment in a press release. “From the runways of O’Hare to the neighborhoods across our city, Chicago is building, growing, and leading. We are open for business, open to the world, and once again setting the pace for the nation.”
O’Hare back on top
Chicago O’Hare was most recently the busiest flight hub in America in 2019. Currently, there are 201 gates at the facility, with United Airlines (90 gates) and American Airlines (71 gates) comprising most of the total.
Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta dropped to No. 2 in the rankings, with Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (741,286 takeoffs and landings), Denver International Airport (707,268), and Las Vegas’s Harry Reid International Airport (586,821) rounding out the top five.
Expansion is coming
O’Hare projects to continue growing thanks to the ORDNext program, which includes the $1.3 billion Concourse D project, designed to add 19 more gates to the hub by late 2028.
“O’Hare’s return as the busiest airport in America underscores one of Chicago’s greatest competitive advantages: unmatched global connectivity,” said Phil Clement, President & CEO of World Business Chicago. “For companies deciding where to locate, expand, or invest, access to markets, talent, and customers is critical—and O’Hare sits at the center of that equation. This recognition reinforces the importance of continued investment in our airports, including the ORDNext capital program and the new $1.3 billion Concourse D, recent examples of why O’Hare continues to deliver one of the best airport experiences in the country.”
