Running Out Of Gates: United & American Force O'Hare To Accelerate 24-Gate Concourse

O’Hare International Airport in Chicago is accelerating parts of its ORDNext redevelopment as United and American expand and pressure existing gates. The airport plans to break ground in late 2026 on the first phase of the new Concourse E, adding 14 gates by 2030 and another 10 by 2034. The timing matters: reporting in 2024 indicated the second satellite concourse had been pushed back due to cost concerns from airlines, but bringing Concourse E forward creates more capacity while Terminal 2 is replaced by the O’Hare Global Terminal. O’Hare currently has four passenger terminals—1, 2, 3, and 5—with 199 gates total. Gate preferences are set to shift from October.