Chicago O’Hare and Midway international airports close out 2026 with more than 40 new or restored routes and a network of nearly 300 destinations.
The Chicago Department of Aviation presented this network review following the arrival of Philippine Airlines, which on Monday inaugurated its service to Manila.
Airbus A350-900 aircraft are utilized by the Philippine national carrier for its thrice-weekly schedule on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays connecting O’Hare and Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
This service is the first non-stop connection between the two cities and is the airline's eighth destination in the United States and its territories.
As noted by the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago, Flight PR132 takes roughly 14 hours and 45 minutes heading to Chicago and about 16 hours and 15 minutes on the way back.
New International Routes Expand O'Hare and Midway Service
The rest of O’Hare’s international additions rolled out over the course of the year. EGYPTAIR opened its first non-stop route between Chicago and Cairo on June 21 with three weekly frequencies on Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
Volaris connected O’Hare with Puebla, while Air Canada and Porter Airlines launched services to Billy Bishop airport in downtown Toronto. United Airlines launched daily flights to Tokyo Narita on October 24, supplementing its existing route to Haneda.
At Midway, Volaris inaugurated a non-stop route to San Luis Potosí on June 2. Southwest Airlines also resumed flights to Milwaukee, Des Moines, and Wichita starting March 5.
Hub carriers drive the bulk of this domestic expansion. American Airlines and United Airlines account for 27 of the 34 new domestic routes.
American opened 12 destinations, ranging from Kahului (Maui), Santa Bárbara and Ontario, California, to regional cities including Allentown, Charlottesville, Erie, Lincoln and Marion. United added 15 destinations, featuring Cody, Eugene, Monterey, St. George, and Santa Fe. The two carriers compete directly on routes to Erie, Santa Bárbara and the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.
Other carriers round out the schedule. JetBlue flies to Fort Lauderdale, Delta Air Lines serves Los Angeles, and Frontier Airlines connects Chicago to Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Non-hub carriers account for 10 of the routes launched this year, comprising six international and four domestic additions.
Record Passenger Traffic
This route expansion coincides with record-breaking passenger traffic across the city’s aviation system. Between June and August, O’Hare handled more than 25 million passengers, a 2.7% increase compared to the same period in 2025. This marked the airport’s best summer season for the second consecutive year, averaging nearly 275,000 travelers per day.
In the first eight months of the year, 59.6 million passengers passed through O’Hare, representing a 5.6% jump over the January-to-August period in 2025. Aircraft operations reached 620,121, climbing 10.3% to outpace passenger traffic growth.
“Our hub carriers continue to invest in their Chicago networks, while other partners offer travellers more options at both airports,” said CDA Commissioner Michael McMurray. CDA Commissioner Michael McMurray
McMurray added that aviation officials expect to build on these connections in 2027.
Confirmed Routes for 2027
Three international routes are already locked in for the coming year. American will launch daily flights to Tokyo Narita on March 27, creating a dual-operator market on the Chicago-Narita route. United will introduce a weekly frequency to Bermuda on April 3. Condor will arrive on May 14 to operate daily seasonal flights to Frankfurt.
