FAA EXTENDS FLIGHT LIMITS AT ORD THROUGH SUMMER 2027 SEASON
August 9, 2026
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On July 10, 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration extended an earlier order limiting the number of scheduled aircraft operations at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (“ORD”). While the earlier order was set to expire on October 24, 2026, the FAA’s latest action extends operating limits at ORD through October 30, 2027 (i.e., the end of the IATA Summer 2027 season) to avoid chronic congestion and minimize delays caused by ongoing airfield construction. As background, in April 2026, the FAA finalized plans to cap daily ORD operations at 2,708 flights which was 300 flights fewer than ORD had originally planned. The initial order required all U.S. air carriers operating at ORD to reduce their operations in compliance with the FAA’s operating limits, which resulted in schedule adjustments that affected the impacted U.S. air carriers as well as foreign air carrier partners on certain codeshare operation. Due to their significant presence at ORD, both American and United could be forced to further modify existing schedules through October 30, 2027, meaning that foreign codeshare partners should monitor this situation closely and coordinate with applicable U.S. air carrier partners as needed to minimize passenger disruptions on affected itineraries.
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