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Top 100 Busiest Airports In The World (2024)

Airports can become busy because they are located in places that are hubs for international travel. However the last few years have shown that airports themselves can be tourist attractions; they can be impressive monuments that draw in people from all over the world.

Some airports can be a combination of both; they are impressive monuments built close to important business hubs. In that case, people will come in from every corner of the world, for reasons of business and pleasure- making the airports extremely busy.

The following are some of the airports that never sleep; they are some of the biggest hubs of international travel.

Top 100 Busiest Airports In The World

1. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport

The Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the major international airport serving Atlanta Georgia. This airport is located some 10 miles away from Downtown Atlanta, which is the main business district of the city.

This airport is also huge; it covers an area of 4,700 acres of land; the equivalent of a small city.

Much of its traffic comes from Delta Airlines; the airport is the principal hub of the airline. Delta Airlines alone handles around 1000 flights every day, to 225 destinations – both domestic and international. This is the biggest airline hub in the world- and if anything, this airport proves how important Delta Airlines actually is.

2. Beijing Capital International Airport

The Beijing Capital International Airport is the foremost airport of the People’s Republic of China, and also one of the busiest airports in the world in terms of passenger traffic. This airport was opened on 1 March 1958, and has grown to be one of the most important airports in the world.

It is located 32 km (20 mi) northeast of Beijing’s city center, and Beijing is one of the world’s biggest cities for business, trade, and investments. This airport’s rise in importance can therefore be linked to the steady and consistent rise in the Chinese economy.

This airport has been thee busiest in Asia since 2009, and continues to hold this position without rivalry.

3. Dubai International Airport

Dubai International Airport is the principal airport of the UAE. It is the busiest airport in the world by international traffic, but falls slightly behind in terms of total traffic – both international and local.

This airport owes its popularity to Dubai as one of the world’s most visited places. Dubai is one of the world’s leading places for international travel because it is a leading hub for commerce; a meeting point for business people from the east and west.

This airport is the hub of Emirates Airlines, Flydubai, and Fedex. The airport was opened in 1960.

4. Los Angeles International Airport

Los Angeles International Airport was opened on October 1, 1928. It is the major airport serving Los Angeles, California, as well as the surrounding area. The airport itself is located in the Westchester area, which is also in Los Angeles; just about 18 miles away from Downtown Los Angeles.

This is one of the most important airports in the world; in 2019 it was the busiest in the world, and is still very important for both passenger and cargo traffic.

This airport is a hub for Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Polar Air Cargo, and     United Airlines. This airport is also a hub for local airlines such as; Allegiant Air, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines.

5. O’Hare International Airport

O’Hare International Airport actually started as an airfield for a military hardware contractor, but is now nicknamed the busiest “square mile in the world.” The airport is located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. This is the main airport serving the Chicago, Illinois metropolitan area.

This airport is named for a famous military aviator Edward “Butch” O’Hare who received a Medal of Honor for his services. The airport is now a hub of civil aviation- and it is now one of the most important ones.

From 1963 to 1998, this airport was the world’s busiest, and even now it remains one of the most important, with about 2,520 aircraft movements per day.

6. Heathrow Airport

Heathrow Airport is the largest airport in the United Kingdom. This world famous airport is located in London, and it serves the London Metropolitan area.

As per international travel, this is one of the busiest airports in the world, and this must be related to the fact that London is one of the most popular destinations for international travel.

This airport was opened in 1946, but it was an airfield from 1929 up to World War II. In its location- just 14 miles south of the center of London, planes approaching the airport can be seen clearly by residents from their homes.

7. Haneda Airport

Haneda Airport is one of the two airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. This airport is one of the most important in Asia for both passenger and cargo movements. This airport is the hub of important Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Air Do, Skymark Airlines, Solaseed Air, and StarFlyer.

Haneda airport is conveniently located just 15 kilometers south of the Tokyo Station. This makes it a good location for people visiting the Tokyo Area. Tokyo is the premier business center of Japan, and so it receives visitors in droves. The city is also the most important in the country in terms of Culture and Education.

8. Hong Kong International Airport

Hong Kong International Airport is built on reclaimed land on an island which makes it somewhat unique. It has been in use since 1998, and at the time of its opening, the terminal building was the largest in the world.

This airport is economically significant because it has 65,000 employees, and those employees can be paid because the airport is extremely busy. Hong Kong is one of the most important destinations in Asia for business and pleasure.

9. Shanghai Pudong International Airport

Shanghai Pudong International Airport is one of the most popular airports in Asia in terms of international traffic. The airport is a monument in its own right; it is designed like an arch and is quite impressive in terms of dimensions. Shanghai Pudong International Airport is a hub for Air China, China Cargo Airlines, FedEx Express, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, DHL Aviation, UPS Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Suparna Airlines, and Spring Airlines.

About half of the passenger traffic in this airport is international, and the cargo traffic here is also very impressive. In fact, unofficial reports indicate that the DHL hub at this airport is the biggest cargo hub in Asia.

10. Charles De Gaulle International Airport

Charles de Gaulle International Airport is located in Paris, France. It was opened on 8 March 1974, and it is the principal airport serving the Paris Area, although it is also known as Roissy Airport. This is the principal airport for Air France, and a key destination for other legacy top airlines like Star Alliance, Oneworld and SkyTeam.

The airport is conveniently close to the Paris city center, which makes it ideal for visitors coming into the city for business or pleasure.

The following is a more extensive list of the busiest airports in the world.

 

Position Airport Name Country Code Annual Passengers
1 Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport United States ATL 103,902,992
2 Beijing Capital International Airport China PEK 95,786,442
3 Dubai International Airport United Arab Emirates DXB 88,242,099
4 Los Angeles International Airport United States LAX 84,557,968
5 O’Hare International Airport United States ORD 79,828,183
6 Heathrow Airport United Kingdom LHR 78,014,598
7 Haneda Airport Japan HND 76,476,251
8 Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong HKG 72,665,078
9 Shanghai Pudong International Airport China PVG 70,001,237
10 Charles de Gaulle International Airport France CDG 69,471,442
11 Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Netherlands AMS 68,515,425
12 Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport United States DFW 67,092,194
13 Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport China CAN 65,887,473
14 Frankfurt am Main International Airport Germany FRA 64,500,386
15 Istanbul Atatürk Airport Turkey IST 63,859,785
16 Indira Gandhi International Airport India DEL Soekarno-Hatta International Airport
17 Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Indonesia CGK 63,015,620
18 Singapore Changi Airport Singapore SIN 62,219,573
19 Incheon International Airport South Korea ICN 62,157,834
20 Denver International Airport United States DEN 61,379,396
21 Suvarnabhumi Airport Thailand BKK 60,860,557
22 John F. Kennedy International Airport United States JFK 59,392,500
23 Kuala Lumpur International Airport Malaysia KUL 58,558,440
24 San Francisco International Airport United States SFO 55,822,129
25 Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport Spain MAD 53,386,075
26 Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport China CTU 49,801,693
27 McCarran International Airport United States LAS 48,566,803
28 Barcelona–El Prat Airport Spain BCN 47,262,826
29 Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport India BOM 47,204,259
30 Toronto Pearson International Airport Canada YYZ 47,054,696
31 Seattle–Tacoma International Airport United States SEA 46,934,194
32 Charlotte Douglas International Airport United States CLT 45,909,899
33 Gatwick Airport United Kingdom LGW 45,561,694
34 Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport China SZX 45,558,409
35 Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Taiwan TPE 44,878,703
36 Mexico City International Airport Mexico MEX 44,732,418
37 Kunming Changshui International Airport China KMG 44,729,736
38 Munich Airport Germany MUC 44,577,241
39 Orlando International Airport United States MCO 44,511,265
40 Miami International Airport United States MIA 44,071,313
41 Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport United States PHX 43,921,670
42 Sydney Airport Australia SYD 43,410,355
43 Newark Liberty International Airport United States EWR 43,393,499
44 Ninoy Aquino International Airport Philippines MNL 42,022,484
45 Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport China SHA 41,884,059
46 Xi’an Xianyang International Airport China XIY 41,857,406
47 Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport Italy FCO 40,968,756
48 George Bush Intercontinental Houston Airport United States IAH 40,696,189
49 Narita International Airport Japan NRT 40,631,193
50 Sheremetyevo International Airport Russia SVO 40,092,806
51 Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport China CKG 38,715,210
52 Don Mueang International Airport Thailand DMK 38,299,757
53 St Paul International Airport United States MSP 38,034,341
54 São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport Brazil GRU 37,774,000
55 Logan International Airport United States BOS 36,288,042
56 Tan Son Nhat International Airport Vietnam SGN 35,900,000
57 Hamad International Airport Qatar DOH 35,867,252
58 Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport China HGH 35,570,411
59 Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport United States DTW 34,701,497
60 King Abdulaziz International Airport Saudi Arabia JED 33,917,282
61 Melbourne Airport Australia MEL 33,704,854
62 Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport United States FLL 32,511,053
63 Orlando Executive Airport United States ORL 32,042,475
64 Sabiha Gökçen International Airport Turkey SAW 31,385,841
65 El Dorado International Airport Colombia BOG 30,989,932
66 Moscow Domodedovo Airport Russia DME 30,700,000
67 Jeju International Airport South Korea CJU 29,846,712
68 LaGuardia Airport United States LGA 29,786,769
69 Philadelphia International Airport United States PHL 29,585,754
70 Dublin Airport Ireland DUB 29,582,321
71 Zürich Airport Switzerland ZRH 29,396,094
72 Copenhagen Airport Denmark CPH 29,177,833
73 Kansai International Airport Japan KIX 27,983,093
74 Palma De Mallorca Airport Spain PMI 27,970,655
75 Manchester Airport United Kingdom MAN 27,901,708
76 Oslo Airport, Gardermoen Norway OSL 27,482,315
77 Lisbon Portela Airport Portugal LIS 26,669,755
78 Stockholm Arlanda Airport Sweden ARN 26,642,034
79 Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport United States BWI 26,369,411
80 Antalya Airport Turkey AYT 25,931,659
81 London Stansted Airport United Kingdom STN 25,904,573
82 Nanjing Lukou International Airport China NKG 25,822,936
83 Gimpo International Airport South Korea GMP 25,267,408
84 Kempegowda International Airport India BLR 25,047,272
85 King Khaled International Airport Saudi Arabia RUH 25,038,000
86 Brussels Airport Belgium BRU 24,783,911
87 Düsseldorf International Airport Germany DUS 24,640,564
89 Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport China XMN 24,485,239
90 Vienna International Airport Austria VIE 24,392,805
91 Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport China CGO 24,299,073
92 Salt Lake City International Airport United States SLC 24,198,816
93 Vancouver International Airport Canada YVR 24,166,122
94 Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport United States DCA 23,928,248
95 Changsha Huanghua International Airport China CSX 23,764,820
96 Abu Dhabi International Airport United Arab Emirates AUH 23,760,561
97 Cancún International Airport Mexico CUN 23,601,509
98 Fukuoka Airport Japan FUK 23,484,678
99 Liuting Airport China TAO 23,210,530
100 Brisbane International Airport Australia BNE 23,205,702

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Closing

Looking at this list of the busiest airports in the world, there is a clear correlation between the economy of a country, and the activities at its airports. This is because many people travel to a country in order to find economic opportunities. Furthermore, wealthy countries are better able to invest in the facilities which can make the airports busy.

These airports have received significant investment from their governments or other owners; which means that they did not become busy by some fortunate accident.