Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is, once again, the world’s busiest airport. The airport, which is Delta Air Lines’ largest hub, served more than 108 million passengers in 2024, according to a report released by Airports Council International World.
However, this number is still about 2% lower than the number of passengers served by the airport in 2019. The number of passengers at the world’s second-busiest airport – Dubai International Airport – grew by almost 7% last year compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to the rankings.
The airport is also at the top of a separate list analysing the airports that serve the most international passengers. In 2024, some 92.3 million passengers – all international – passed through its gates.
In 2024, global passenger traffic reached a record high, with about 9.4 billion people traveling by air, according to the report. That represents about 8.4% more passengers than in 2023 and 2.7% more than in 2019, according to the report.
The busiest airports in the world, based on total passenger numbers, are:
1. Atlanta, USA (ATL) – 108.1 million
2. Dubai, United Arab Emirates (DXB) – 92.3 million
3. Dallas/Fort Worth, USA (DFW) – 87.8 million
4. Tokyo, Japan (HND) – 85.9 million
5. London, United Kingdom (LHR) – 83.9 million
6. Denver, USA (DEN) – 82.4 million
7. Istanbul, Turkey (IST) – 80.1 million
8. Chicago, USA (ORD) – 80 million
9. New Delhi, India (DEL) – 77.8 million
10. Shanghai, China (PVG) – 76.8 million
11. Los Angeles, USA (LAX) – 76.6 million
12. Guangzhou, China (CAN) – 76.4 million
13. Incheon, Korea (ICN) – 71.2 million
14. Paris, France (CDG) – 70.3 million
15. Singapore (SIN) – 67.7 million
The busiest airports in the world, based on the number of international passengers, are:
1. Dubai, UAE (DXB) – 92.3 million
2. London, United Kingdom (LHR) – 79.2 million
3. Incheon, Korea (ICN) – 70.7 million
4. Singapore (SIN) – 67.1 million
5. Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) – 66.8 million
6. Paris, France (CDG) – 64.5 million
7. Istanbul, Turkey (IST) – 63 million
8. Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) – 56.2 million
9. Hong Kong (HKG) – 52.9 million
10. Doha, Qatar (DOH) – 52.7 million
11. Bangkok, Thailand (BKK) – 50.3 million
12. Madrid, Spain (MAD) – 48.7 million
13. Taipei, Taiwan (TPE) – 44.7 million
14. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (KUL) – 41.9 million
15. Barcelona, Spain (BCN) – 40.7 million
In addition to Dubai International Airport, other airports serving significantly more passengers than in 2019 include:
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) – No. 3 (up from No. 10 in 2019)
- Denver International Airport (DEN) – No. 6 (up from No. 16)
- Istanbul Airport (IST) – No. 7 (up from No. 28)
- Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) – No. 9 (up from No. 17)
The United States has six airports in the top 20. For the first time since the pandemic, three airports in China – Shanghai (PVG), Guangzhou (CAN) and Beijing (PEK) – return to the top 20.
Despite being ranked among the busiest airports in the world, major airports in seven cities have yet to see passenger numbers return to pre-Covid levels, including Atlanta (-2.2%), Chicago (-5.4%), Los Angeles (-13%), Paris (-7.7%), Singapore (-0.9%), Beijing (-32.6%), Amsterdam (-6.8%) and Bangkok (-4.9%).
Global passenger traffic is forecast to grow to 9.9 billion in 2025, despite ongoing industry challenges related to economic uncertainty, geopolitical airspace closures and aircraft construction delays, according to Airports Council International.
