The yearslong efforts by suburban leaders to deliver meaningful and lasting relief from overnight jet noise for residents in the O’Hare region have been jeopardized thanks in no small part to stonewalling by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the City of Chicago.
The FAA and City of Chicago are in charge of reviewing the proposed Fly Quiet 21 (FQ21), a runway rotation plan intended to more fairly distribute overnight aircraft noise across the region. FQ21 has been in development for several years, and numerous alternatives were considered to distribute the noise more fairly. Ultimately, the City of Chicago submitted only one alternative to the FAA as part of a required environmental review that will provide analysis of the real-world impacts of FQ21 on area residents.
The Suburban O’Hare Commission (SOC) is concerned that the FAA and the City of Chicago are ignoring the most effective solution to this problem. The FAA is required by law to consider the environmental impacts on any significant change to airport operations and in doing so must consider all reasonable alternatives. The problem is that the FAA seems intent on overlooking the alternative that will deliver the most relief to the most people, in favor of only reviewing the less-effective alternative put forward by the City of Chicago.
Last year, in response to a lawsuit from Elk Grove Village (a SOC member), the FAA agreed in writing to follow federal law requiring the review of reasonable alternatives and consider public input before making a final decision. SOC members have since learned that the FAA appears to be going back on its word and does not intend to consider other reasonable alternatives as part of the review.
Repeated letters and phone calls to officials at the FAA and the City have been ignored, prompting this letter seeking an explanation.
SOC is committed to advocating on behalf of impacted residents to ensure that a proper review is completed to understand impacts before Chicago implements a permanent plan for overnight noise. SOC will explore every option and use every resource at its disposal to ensure the FAA and the City of Chicago live up to their word and follow the law.
Additional information is available below:
SOC Letter to the FAA: 3-26-25
Press Release 3-26-25: City of Chicago and FAA deliberately stonewalling suburban efforts to deliver meaningful relief from overnight aircraft noise, mayors say
