Why Rebuilding Chicago O'Hare Costs Nearly As Much Per Passenger As Riyadh's 6-Runway Mega-Airport

The ongoing reconstruction of Chicago O’Hare International Airport is facing escalating costs, now estimated to be nearly as expensive per passenger as the newly built Riyadh Airport. The Saudi Arabian project represents a substantially larger scale of development, dramatically boosting its overall capacity. This expansion has increased the airport’s capacity significantly higher than the planned capacity for Chicago. Officials are citing complex infrastructure challenges and labor shortages contributing to the rising expenses at O’Hare. The new Riyadh airport boasts six runways compared to the current four at O’Hare, representing a key difference in operational scope.