ILLINOIS (NBC CHICAGO) -- United Airlines said Friday it's holding off on adding new routes from O'Hare International Airport to central Illinois and other smaller markets across the Midwest.
The airline revealed the decision to delay 10 new routes because of the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to limit flights at the airport through October 2027.
The delayed routes include Bloomington and Champaign, Kalamazoo and Marquette, Michigan, and La Crosse and Wausau, Wisconsin.
United said it will provide refunds for travelers who already booked flights to those destinations.
Earlier in July, the FAA revealed flight reductions at O'Hare would last more than a year longer than originally expected.
The agency said July 10 the current limits will continue through Oct. 30, 2027, saying the extension is intended to help maintain safe and efficient operations while reducing widespread delays. In mid-April, the FAA and the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that the airport would be limited to a total of 2,708 flights per day this summer, more than 300 fewer flights than originally planned.
