On Monday, November 21, United States Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and City of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot gathered at O’Hare International Airport to announce the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Record of Decision, the approval of a multi-year environmental impact study that had been in progress since 2018. This approval represents a significant milestone toward implementing the $12.1 billion O’Hare 21 project to modernize the airport – including the O’Hare Global Terminal (OGT) work being done by Studio ORD,  a collaborative joint venture between Studio Gang, SCB, Corgan, Milhouse Engineering & Construction, Inc., and STLarchitects.

“This is a very important milestone for the O’Hare Global Terminal project and the whole team at Studio ORD,” says Mark Frisch, a Principal at SCB and Principal-in-Charge for the O’Hare Global Terminal. “We’re excited to move forward on this transformative project to modernize one of the nation’s key aviation hubs.”

The construction of the OGT is slated to begin in 2026. With a scheduled opening of 2030, it will be a key terminal development within the United States, modernizing one of the nation’s largest aviation hubs and doubling the space of Terminal 2 while integrating both domestic and international operations for O’Hare’s two hub carriers.

“We’re living in a time when folks understand more and more of the importance of our airports for supply chains, as well as for passenger travel,” Buttigieg said at the O’Hare press conference. “And we’ve got to make sure both of those are running as efficiently as possible — that’s part of what this new terminal’s going to be part of.”

“O’Hare is the lifeblood of Chicago’s economy, directly employing tens of thousands of Illinois residents and bringing more than 70 million passengers to and through our city each year,” commented Mayor Lightfoot. “The next phase of work will expand O’Hare’s capacity to serve travelers and improve the customer experience, transforming it into one of the greatest airports of the 21st century.” 

Read the full City of Chicago press release regarding this announcement and the full FAA study.