More than 400 flights were canceled at O’Hare International Airport on Wednesday because of strong crosswinds that limited use of the airfield’s five east-west parallel runways, city aviation officials said.
Flights to O’Hare arrived as much as two hours late because of the crosswinds.
As a result, only two diagonal runways were used to land planes for much of the day, according to a flight-tracking website funded by the Chicago Department of Aviation.
In addition to lengthy delays, more than 400 flights were canceled, and some planes bound for O’Hare were diverted to other airports, officials said. Some departing flights also were affected, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
More favorable weather conditions were expected Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
Strong south-southwest winds blowing up to 40 mph Wednesday forced O’Hare to mostly abandon use of the east-west runways for landings in favor of the two diagonal ones, officials said. Planes landed from the northeast on those runways.
Excessive crosswinds make it extremely challenging for pilots to stay lined up with runway centerlines while on approach. Planes take off and land directly into the wind in optimal conditions.
O’Hare normally uses three arrival runways and at least two runways for departures during peak travel periods.
Flight operations shifted to mostly east or west patterns in late 2013. O’Hare will have six east-west parallel runways and two crosswind runways when the city’s $10 billion O’Hare expansion program is completed. The plan includes decommissioning two existing diagonal runways. One of the two closed in August and the other is set to close in 2019.
Critics of the plan say that the airport’s four diagonals can be used to help spread out airplane noise over wider areas and that they provide the opportunity for more operational flexibility during adverse wind conditions.
Midway Airport reported normal flight operations Wednesday, with delays running 15 minutes or less, officials said.
City and FAA officials said strong crosswinds severely affect O’Hare operations only a small percentage of the year. But when the airport’s east-west runways are put on hold because of wind conditions, it creates havoc for passengers and airline schedules.
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