The O’Hare Modernization Project (OMP) is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed change to landing and take-off patterns that is due to take effect in October 2013 if FAiR is not successful in stopping it. The OMP will drastically increase air traffic over both northwest (NW) Chicago and the near NW suburbs by shifting current airplane traffic, now arriving from many directions, into landing and take offs from only two directions, East and West, directly over the NW side of Chicago and near NW suburbs. In addition, the project intends to shift 85% of all nighttime landings to routes directly over the NW side.

This massive shift in airplane traffic puts the burden of noise, fuel, air and visual pollution almost solely on the residents and businesses of the Northwest side of Chicago and the near NW suburbs. Nearly all these communities predate O’Hare’s conversion to a commercial airport in the ’50s and this shift is neither necessary nor desirable. This concentrated increase in airplane traffic will negatively impact the health and quality of life for residents and businesses on the NW side of Chicago and the NW suburbs.

Fair Allocation in Runways (FAiR) Coalition proposes the following solutions:

1. Immediately halt the proposed takeoff and landing plan. Devise, instead, a neighborhood-based plan, working with FAiR.

2. Support the City of Park Ridge’s request that a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) be conducted to verify what the actual, 2013 environmental impacts will be from this new plan. Significant changes have occurred since the original EIS was done in 2005 and need to be addressed.

3. Continue to utilize all existing and new runways.

4. Expand noise monitoring and abatement programs to ensure specific communities are not unduly burdened.

5. Make “Fly Quiet” the official mandatory policy for O’Hare.

FAiR is a coalition of community organizations dedicated to the equitable distribution of O’Hare aircraft traffic. FAiR is located in Chicago's NW side and NW suburbs.

If you would like to get involved or reach FAiR, contact Jac Charlier at jac.charlier@gmail.com