Ald. Matt O'Shea (19) asks Chicago Aviation Comm. Jamie Rhee questions during a budget hearing Friday. [Livestream]

Chicago Department of Aviation Comm. Jamie Rhee answered alderpersons’ questions about O’Hare airport’s massive modernization effort and migrant arrivals during a budget hearing Friday evening. 

The aviation department, which manages O’Hare and Midway international airports’ operations, maintenance and capital improvement projects, is set to see its budget balloon to $1.42 billion under Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2024 spending plan. That represents a more than 23.5 percent increase from 2023’s budget of $1.14 billion.