O'HARE — The expansion of O'Hare Airport will continue with the addition of at least nine new international gates as part of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's effort to make the airport more attractive to foreign travelers.
Emanuel said Friday the expansion of the 23-year-old Terminal Five — which got a major facelift in 2014 — was just the beginning of his efforts to modernize the airport. The terminal now has 24 gates.
The $300 million project — financed by taxes collected by the city from travelers and airlines — would add 1,100 jobs and generate millions of dollars in economic activity for the city of Chicago, officials said.
“From adding more gates and improving the international terminal to constructing the most efficient runway system in the country, we are ensuring that O’Hare continues to be an economic driver for the city of Chicago long into the future," Emanuel said.
City officials say the airport needs more gates to reduce delays and attract people traveling for both business and pleasure.
The project also envisions renovating Terminal Two into the airport's "central terminal" and adding more domestic gates, officials said. The oldest terminal at O'Hare, Terminal Two was built more than 50 years ago.
That effort, which would cost billions of dollars, is still in development, officials said.
A renovated Terminal Two could include a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility, a departure hall with additional space for passenger screening and shops, officials said. If needed to handle the growing number of passengers, new concourses could be constructed to the west, according to the plans unveiled Friday.
“In order to grow, innovate and continue to provide excellent service in a dynamic global aviation system, O’Hare needs to significantly expand and modernize,” said Chicago Department of Aviation Commissioner Ginger S. Evans.
The mayor announced last month two new airport hotels would be built and a third renovated as part of the airport expansion.
A sixth east-west runway is set to be built in 2020 to complete the expansion of the airfield, as well as five new gates in Terminal Three.
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