First Look at Chicago O’Hare’s New Satellite Terminal 1

Although it’s at least four years away from becoming a reality, visitors recently got their first look at Satellite Concourse 1 in Chicago. O’Hare International Airport (ORD) What it will look like in 2028, when the airport expansion and modernization project is completed.

Satellite Concourse 1 will add 19 new gates to the airport’s existing Concourse C, the third of four major milestones in the current airport modernization project. There are also plans to build a second satellite concourse.

O’Hare International Airport is the country’s third busiest airport. There are plans to expand and modernize the airport through a project called the O’Hare Terminal 21 Area Plan, which broke ground in 2018. As part of the major renovation, O’Hare will build two satellite concourses, a new O’Hare Global Terminal (which will eventually replace Terminal 2), and an underground tunnel that will connect the new facilities.

In 2020, a major part of the O’Hare 21 project was completed when Runway 9C-27C, a new 2.13-mile-long, 200-foot-wide runway, opened. It was the final new runway built in the 16-year, $6 billion project known as O’Hare Modernization ProgramLed by the Chicago Department of Aviation, Runway 9C-27C cost $1 billion to build and was funded through a combination of federal airport improvement grants and airline-backed bonds, according to the CDA.

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CDA and the airline alliance are now funding additional components of the program.

“The City of Chicago and 21 airlines have agreed to develop a Terminal Area Plan as part of an approved capital program in conjunction with the 2018 O’Hare Aviation Lease and Use Agreement, which is a 15-year agreement,” a CDA spokesperson said. “The budget for the Terminal Area Plan is $6.1 billion in 2018 dollars.”If funding allows, construction of a second satellite terminal will begin soon; it will be connected to the first terminal via an underground tunnel. According to CDAThe first satellite terminal is expected to create more than 3,800 construction jobs.

So far, several temporary taxiways and a new runway have been added, along with three new temporary gates at Concourse C. Taxiway B has also been reconfigured. Construction on the O’Hare Global Terminal is expected to begin in 2026, but plans are subject to change.

“Construction of TAP began in March 2023 with a series of supporting infrastructure projects and Satellite Concourse 1 is now scheduled for completion in 2028,” the CDA said. “The city will release revised timelines and cost estimates for additional elements of the Station Area Plan in the coming months.”

Several gate improvement projects are due to be completed by 2023, including a major expansion of the O’Hare International Terminal (Terminal 5), which will cost $1.3 billion to build.

The Terminal 5 expansion added 10 new gates and reconfigured international arrivals, customs and security checkpoints across 350,000 square feet of new construction. A new six-story parking garage will open in October.

Five new baggage check-in machines and a variety of food and beverage options were also added, including several local businesses, such as The Hampton Social and Bar Siena, both of which are located downtown. Finally, as part of the modernization project, the CDA and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events launched a $3.5 million public art program, the city’s largest local art acquisition in 30 years.

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