Air travel is a crucial means of transportation across the globe that has attained the status of being regarded as the safest means of transportation. This, therefore, accounts for the increase in the patronage of airports, and in 2024, a number of airports have been identified as the busiest.
The geographic distribution of the busiest airports recorded in 2024 was broad with four based in North America, three in Asia, two in Europe, and one in the Middle East.
As of 2024, these are the world's busiest airports globally.
1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta airport in Georgia, United States, retained its position as the world's busiest airport in 2024 with 62.7 million seats. It also held the top spot in 2023 and 2019.
2. Dubai International Airport
In 2024, the second busiest airport globally was Dubai International Airport with 60.2 million seats. The primary international airport which serves Dubai, United Arab Emirates was ranked as the second world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic.
3. Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport)
In third place was Tokyo Haneda Airport maintaining its position from 2023 into 2024. With 55.2 million seats and a capacity increase of 5% compared to 2023, the airport is shown to be the busier of the two international airports serving Tokyo.
4. Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport, the UK's biggest airport, was ranked the fourth busiest airport in the world. Located 14 miles west of Central London and serving hundreds of destinations across the world, Heathrow had 51.5 million seats in 2024 and is the busiest airport in Europe.
5. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
In 2024, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) ranked as the fifth busiest airport. It surpassed its 2019 performance, with a shift from 13th position to 5th position and a capacity increase of 18% which marked one of the highest growth among the top ten busiest airports.
6. Denver International Airport
In sixth position is Denver International Airport (DEN), Denver, Colorado.
Denver airport surpassed its 2019 performance, with a capacity increase of 24% and a shift from 21st position to 6th position, marking one of the highest growth among the top ten airports. Additionally, compared to 2023, Denver expanded their capacity by 5% more seats.
7. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport
In seventh place is China's Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. It is the main airport of Guangzhou, the capital of the province of Guangdong, People's Republic of China. In 2019, it occupied the 12th position but has surpassed this as it is ranked the seventh place in 2024.
8. Istanbul Airport
Istanbul Airport which is the largest international airport in Turkey occupies the eighth position in 2024 from being in the 16th place in 2019. This shift reflects the airport's growing importance as a global hub.
9. Shanghai Pudong International Airport
Shanghai Pudong International Airport saw the most rapid growth among the top ten airports, with a 29% increase in capacity compared to 2023. This is largely due to China's ongoing air travel recovery following the global pandemic. As a result, PVG moved from the 15th busiest global airport in 2023 to the ninth busiest in 2024.
10. Chicago O'Hare International Airport
Tenth on the list is Chicago O'Hare International Airport, a major international airport serving Chicago, Illinois in the United States.
Others include Los Angeles International Airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, Hong Kong International Airport, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Indira Gandhi International Airport, Singapore Changi Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Incheon International Airport, Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, and London Gatwick Airport.
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