FAA to cut flights at major US airport to reduce delays

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Thursday that it would implement a scheduling reduction at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport after the airlines that serve the airport planned to scale up flights despite significant levels of cancellations and delays. 

O'Hare is the busiest airport in the U.S. based on flight volume and had over 3,080 flights planned on peak days for summer 2026, an increase of 14.9% from peak days in summer 2025 when just 60% of arrivals and departures were on time.

The FAA's scheduling reduction will limit O'Hare's daily operations to 2,708 flights to prevent a dramatic increase from last summer's peak daily schedule with the goal of preventing a high volume of delays and cancellations. The flight limitations will be in effect from May 17 to Oct. 24, 2026.

"If you book a ticket, we want you and your family to have the certainty that you'll fly without endless delays and cancellations," said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who added that the FAA will follow a similar template to what it used at another one of the nation's busiest airports as it seeks to streamline O'Hare's operations. 

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"We successfully turned Newark Liberty International into the most on-time airport in the Tri-State Area by fixing telecoms issues at record speed and reducing overcapacity," Duffy said. 

"Applying that same strategy at O'Hare – where unrealistic schedules were set to dramatically exceed what they could handle – will reduce delays and make this busy summer travel season a little easier," he said. 

"Along with our work to modernize air traffic control and boost staffing, the Trump administration is using every tool at its disposal to deliver a safe, efficient, and seamless flying experience," Duffy added.

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The FAA's announcement said that O'Hare's proposed flight volume of 3,080 per day on peak days was an increase of 400 compared with last year. 

That proposal came against the backdrop of air traffic controllers dealing with constrained gate capacity and ongoing taxiway closures due to construction.

Airline representatives worked in one-on-one meetings with the FAA to find a balance between scaling back operations at O'Hare and meeting the airline's needs.

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Aside from limiting flight volume at O'Hare, the FAA also said that it's bringing in more air traffic controllers and improving the speed of controller training while optimizing routes and airspace around Chicago to reduce delays. It's also increasing collaborative decision-making (CDM) calls between the FAA, airlines and airports during potential high-risk periods.

"Our number one priority is the safety of the flying public, and that means ensuring airline schedules reflect what the system can safely handle," said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.

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"We appreciate the airlines working together with us to reach a responsible level of operations that strengthens safety and delivers a more reliable travel experience for the American public," Bedford added.