The Chicago Department of Aviation has opened 10 new gates in the East Concourse of O'Hare Airport's Terminal 5.
The new gates are part of a broader $1.3 billion expansion and renovation of the terminal. Officials hailed the expansion at a ribbon-cutting on Jan. 31.
"With new gates, increased passenger amenities, a more efficient baggage-handling system and expanded security checkpoints and customs facilities, the state-of-the-art Terminal 5 of today is equipped to handle the growing demand we expect O'Hare to see in the coming years while offering an improved passenger experience," Chicago Department of Aviation commissioner Jamie Rhee said in a prepared statement.
Construction of the Terminal 5 project began in 2019. Last year, Delta moved into 10 renovated gates in the terminal's west wing and opened a new Sky Club. A new parking garage is also under construction, with completion expected next year.
Overall, the project increased Terminal 5's capacity by 25%, as the building was expanded by 350,000 square feet. An additional 750,000 square feet of space has been renovated.
Nine of the 10 new East Concourse gates utilize multiple airport ramp systems, called MARS gates, which can accommodate either narrowbody or widebody aircraft. At MARS gates, the space it takes to park two widebodies can be repurposed to fit three single-aisle planes.