CHICAGO (AP) -
Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport has reclaimed its title as the
world’s busiest airport for the first time since 2004.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel
made the announcement Wednesday in Chicago during the World Routes 2014
convention, which the mayor’s office described as the largest
business-to-business aviation event.
According to the
Federal Aviation Administration, more than 580,000 flights departed or
landed at O’Hare from January to August.
International
passenger volume is up 8 percent at O’Hare in the first half of the year,
the mayor’s office said.
“O’Hare isn’t just
the busiest airport in the world, it’s an asset for the City of Chicago,”
Emanuel said. “These new gains will help us attract new businesses and
solidify our place as the best connected city in the U.S. and around the
world.”
Representatives of
airlines and airports attend the World Routes forum to decide where to fly
in the future, according to Emanuel’s office. They said some 3,000 people
from about 120 countries, 800 airports and 300 airlines are attending.