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FAA lifts Chicago O'Hare Flight Caps

June 16, 2008 4:28 PM

Good news for frustrated O'Hare travelers (which, given the size of the airport, means just about everyone): Chicago's primary airport should be able to handle more than 40 additional arrivals per airline this winter, acting FAA administrator Robert Sturgell said today.

The FAA announced Monday that it will allow flight caps at O'Hare to expire on October 31st. The FAA said the airport will no longer need to limit planes because it is completing an extension of one of its runways this fall.

The runway extension will allow for 4 to 5 extra arrivals each hour.

"The modernization program is the answer to growing capacity and heading delays and congestion off at the pass," Sturgell said. "Our nation needs to continue to build its aviation infrastructure. This is a joint responsibility of federal, state and local officials."

Sturgell said more runway space is also needed in high-traffic areas like New York, California and Las Vegas. He said the FAA has helped build 13 new runways across the nation in the last nine years, and another six will be completed in the next two years.

The caps that will expire at O'Hare were put in place in 2004.

"We put those caps in place as a last resort," Sturgell said. "Getting rid of them is exactly what we'd hoped for, and the people who fly to and through the great city of Chicago are the beneficiaries."

What do you think? Will this improve travel though O'Hare, or will more flights bring more headaches?

Kate Barrett and Matt Hosford

June 16, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (2)

User Comments

Posted by: few | Jun 16, 2008 4:46:49 PM

Posted by: DenverGuyTC | Jul 7, 2008 10:42:47 PM

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