Busiest Airports in the World
Top 10 busiest airports in the world based on the volume of passengers: you are probably curious which air hubs made the cut this year.
Airports Council International (ACI) released its latest report in July 2024 and we from SkyRefund will give you a quick overview of the official figures.
2023 saw European and Asian leaders like London Heathrow and Indira Gandhi New Delhi Airport reclaim positions in the busiest top 10 global airports but let’s see who else is on the list.
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#10 New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), India
India’s largest airport saw almost 72,3 million passengers arrive, depart or go through New Delhi in 2023. Indira Gandhi airport is not only the largest in India by surface area, but also the busiest by passenger and cargo traffic. It is also the first Indian air hub to be powered by solar and hydropower only.
#9 Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Illinois, US
Chicago O’Hare ranks ninth busiest airport in the world, closely following New Delhi with over 73 million passengers served in 2023. According to the ACI data, it is also the second busiest airport in the world by aircraft movements.
A fun fact about O’Hare: that’s the first airport in the world to host an apiary which became home to more than a million bees, kept by former convicts from the Chicago area.
#8 Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), California, US
LAX lost its fifth position to Denver with a small difference: the Californian airport served 75 050 875 passengers in 2023. If you ever find yourself in the area, make sure to pronounce the letters of LAX separately. The airport’s code used to be just LA until the 1930s but with aviation’s rapid growth, an “X” was added.
#7 Istanbul International Airport (IST), Turkiye
The new airport in Istanbul is quickly catching up with the major contenders and with over 76 million travelers met in 2022, the Turkish hub is righteously holding the 7th position in the ranking for a second year in a row.
Istanbul airport’s management has ambitious expansion plans for the upcoming years and recently stated that the target passenger traffic for 2024 is 85 million. Time will only show if this is a realistic projection but we will surely keep a close eye on the Turkish airport.
#6 Denver International Airport (DEN), Colorado, US
While Denver remains the world’s second biggest airport by surface area, it lost its 3rd position to Dallas. In 2023, the Denver International Airport helped 77 837 917 passengers reach their destination.
Something that distinguishes Denver Airport is the building’s design with its white roof towers which were inspired by the nearby snowy Rocky mountains and allow lots of natural light into the airport.
#5 Tokyo-Haneda Airport (HND), Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) helped more than 78,7 million passengers reached their destination in 2023 claiming the 5th place in our rankings.
The airport has 3 terminals where airlines over 30 interlinational airlines like Malaysia Airlines have routes through.
#4 London Heathrow Airport (LHR), London, UK
The biggest British airport climbed up four position and ranks as the 4th busiest airport in the world. Heathrow welcomed almost 80 million passengers in 2023 and reclaimed its former glory as one of Europe’s busiest air hubs.
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#3 Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Texas, US
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is the largest hub for American Airlines and served over 81 million passengers in 2023. This huge American airport is also the third busiest in the world by aircraft movements.
#2 Dubai International Airport (DXB), UAE
The luxurious Dubai airport welcomed 86 994 365 passengers in 2023 and thus surpassed the Dallas airport and Heathrow in the ranking. Emirates, the biggest Middle Eastern airline in terms of seats sold, uses DXB as its main hub and offers direct flights to over 240 destinations worldwide.
#1 Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL), Atlanta, US
And the first place rightfully goes to Hartsfield-Jackson, the world’s biggest airport by passenger traffic since 2000. It kept the crown even after the COVID pandemic and served the staggering number of 104 653 451 million passengers in 2023. It also holds the first place for busiest airport in the world by aircraft movements.
With this, our ranking is concluded, we wish you safe travels from the world’s busiest airports! Don't forget to check out our ranking of the world's smallest airports to see how they compare to the busiest ones.