Chicago O’Hare International Airport is the main international airport serving Chicago, Illinois and is located on the city’s Northwest Side, approximately 27 km northwest of the Loop business district. Operated by the Chicago Department of Aviation and covering 7,627 acres, O’Hare serves 214 nonstop destinations in North America, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Oceania and the North Atlantic. O’Hare is recognised as the airport with the most connections in the world.
Made famous in the private jet era, O’Hare held the title of the world’s busiest airport from 1963 to 1998; today it is the fourth busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger numbers, serving an average of 54 million passengers a year. O’Hare serves as a major hub for both United Airlines and American Airlines. It is also a focus city for Spirit Airlines.
United States of America private jet charter prices
Although Chicago O’Hare Airport air charter fees depend on variables such as the number of passengers, departure airport, flight time, aircraft position, flight date, the prices for private jet charter from Istanbul → Illinois are as follows.
| Heavy Jet | 111.950 EUR |
| Long Range Jet | 129.500 EUR |
| VIP Airliner | 160.900 EUR |
These prices are average amounts and you can contact us on our flight reservation screen or by phone for the most accurate price information.
History of Chicago O’Hare International Airport
In 1926, after Chicago Municipal Airport opened, the city of Chicago realized it needed more airport capacity. The city government explored various sites in the 1930s but made little progress before America’s entry into World War II. O’Hare began as a manufacturing facility for the production of Douglas C-54 Skymaster aircraft during World War II. 655 C-54s were built at the facilities, more than half of all those produced. The airfield where the C-54s flew originally consisted of four 1,700-meter long runways.
A lesser known fact is that it was the location of the Army Air Corps’ 803rd Special Depot, which was tasked with storing many captured enemy aircraft. Several examples of this collection were later transferred to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum.
With the end of the war, the Douglas Company’s contract ended. Douglas considered producing passenger aircraft at the Orchard, but preferred to focus its civilian production at its headquarters in Santa Monica, California. With Douglas’ departure, the complex was renamed Orchard Field Airport and assigned the IATA code ORD.
During the Korean War, the United States Air Force used the field extensively; at the time there was no scheduled airline service at the airport. The Air Force used O’Hare as a fighter aircraft base; from 1950 to 1959 it was the headquarters of the 62nd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which operated North American F-86 Sabres. By 1960, O’Hare’s need as an active-duty fighter base was waning, while commercial business at the airport was increasing. The Air Force removed the active-duty units at O’Hare and turned it over to Continental Air Command, which allowed them to station reserve and Air National Guard units there.
In 1945, Chicago mayor Edward Kelly established a board to select a new airport site to meet future demand. After considering various proposals, the board selected the Orchard Field site in March 1946, with the federal government purchasing a large portion of it. The military retained a small parcel of land on the site and the right to use 25% of the airport’s operating capacity free of charge. In 1949, the city renamed O’Hare Airport in honor of Edward “Butch” O’Hare, the first flying ace of the US Navy in World War II and a Medal of Honor recipient. But the IATA code (ORD) did not change, resulting in O’Hare being one of the few IATA codes with no connection to its name or metropolitan area.
Although regular passenger service to O’Hare Airport began in 1955, growth was slow in the early days. Although Chicago had invested more than $25 million in O’Hare, Midway airport was still the busiest in the world. But improvements began to attract airlines and O’Hare’s first international terminal opened in August 1958. By April 1959, the airport had expanded to 7,200 acres with new hangars, terminals, parking and other facilities. The connecting road to downtown was completed in 1960.
The jet airplane was the major factor attracting airlines from Midway to O’Hare. The first scheduled jet flight was from New York to Chicago by an American 707 on March 22, 1959. O’Hare remained the world’s busiest airport until it was overtaken by Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 1998. O’Hare had four runways in 1955; the 8,000-foot (2,400 m) 14R/32L runway opened in 1956 and was extended to 11,600 feet (3,500 m) a few years later, enabling direct flights to Europe. Runway 9R/27L (now 10L/28R) opened in 1968 and runway 4R/22L in 1971.
In the 1980s, after the adoption of US airline regulation, the first major change at O’Hare took place when TWA moved to St. Louis as its main continent hub. Although TWA had a large hangar complex at O’Hare and launched Constellation nonstop flights to Paris, by the time of regulation it was losing $25 million a year in the race against United and American. Similarly, Northwest pulled out of O’Hare and shifted to a network centered on Minneapolis/St. Paul and Detroit following its acquisition of Republic Airlines in 1986. Delta retained the O’Hare hub for a while, opening a new Terminal L in 1983. Eventually, however, Delta determined that the cost of competing from a lower location at O’Hare was too high and closed its Chicago hub in the 1990s, focusing its upper Midwest operations on Cincinnati.
In 2018, the city and airlines committed to phase one of a new Terminal Area Plan called O’Hare 21. The plan includes the construction of two entirely new satellite accommodations southwest of Concourse C and the expansion of Terminals 2 and 5 with additional gates, updated lounges, and an update of all businesses at the airport.
Places to visit in Chicago
Chicago is the third largest city in the United States and the capital of the state of Illinois. The city is located on the shores of Lake Michigan and has many attractions that attract tourists. The city’s attractions include tall skyscrapers, world-famous museums, large parks and lakes.
One of Chicago’s most famous landmarks is the 442-meter Willis Tower. The tower has 110 floors and an observation deck with beautiful views of Chicago. Walking along Michigan Avenue, located on the edge of the Chicago River, can also be a nice experience for tourists. There are many restaurants, cafes and shops on Michigan Avenue. There are also many theaters and music halls on this street, such as the famous Chicago Theater.
Other attractions in the city include the world-renowned Art Institute of Chicago museum and the Field Museum. The Art Institute of Chicago has a collection of more than 300,000 works of art. The Field Museum specializes in natural history and anthropology. In addition, large parks such as Millennium Park, Grant Park and Lincoln Park attract tourists. Millennium Park is famous for its Cloud Gate sculpture, a huge steel facade, and its open-air concerts, which are free to the public. Grant Park is a large green space for tourists to relax and is also home to Buckingham Fountain.
Ways to get from O’hare Airport to the city center
O’hare Airport is located on the north side of Chicago and there are several transportation options available to access many of the city’s major destinations.
You can easily reach the city center using the tram-like public transportation called Metra, and Metra serves many stops in the north area. Taxi is the most convenient and fastest way to travel from the airport to the city center and taxi service is available at every terminal.
Regional buses can also be preferred to reach the city center and you can easily travel between the terminals with the buses in the main parking lot. You can choose from regional buses such as Act II, Coach USA, Express Air Coach, Illini Shuttle, PCC and Pace Bus.
There are also offices of different car rental companies in the port.
