A List Of The World’s Largest Airports

Air travel is the fastest and most reliable means of travel, especially over long distances. The air travel industry is rapidly growing, with airports improving and expanding their infrastructure to cater for the growing number of passengers. As of 2020, over four billion passengers travelled by air making the biggest airports in the world also the busiest. This article is a list of the biggest airports in the globe.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

The airport was launched back in 1980 and has annual traffic of about 107.4 million passengers. The airport has been among the busiest airports worldwide in terms of arrivals and departures. One of the key factors to the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport’s growth is its convenient location in Atlanta, which is a 2-hour flight from 80 per cent of the country’s population.

Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK)

Beijing is a busy city, as it is the capital city of the world’s second-biggest economy. It has the busiest airport in Asia and the second-busiest airport in the world. The airport has annual traffic of 101 million passengers. In preparation for the 2008 Olympics, the city of Beijing constructed a massive Terminal 3, among the largest in the world. The airport hosts Air China which flies to more than 120 destinations.

Dubai International Airport (DXB)

This airport experiences annual traffic of 89.1 million passengers making it the busiest in the United Arab Emirates. It is also the biggest in the world in terms of international passengers. The Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 3 was completed in 2008 and was the largest in the world until 2013.

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

Most flights from the Los Angeles International Airport have the most flights starting and ending there compared to connecting flights. This makes it the world’s biggest origin and destination airport. The airport hosts a “The Private Suite” which is a members-only club that costs $4500 annually, plus a minimum of $2700 per flight.

Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND)

The Tokyo Haneda Airport has traffic of 87.1 million passengers every year making it the second-busiest airport in Asia. The Japanese government set to expand the airport in preparation for the 2020 Summer Olympics. The airport is also known as Tokyo International, Haneda Airport is ranked fifth in the world and is just a few hundred thousand behind Los Angeles International.

O’Hare International Airport (ORD)

The Chicago O’Hare airport has been operational since 1955 and has been ranked among the world’s busiest airports in terms of arrivals and departures. This international airport serves over 40 airlines and offers direct flights to over 60 international destinations in the world.

London Heathrow Airport (LHR)

London Heathrow has been the busiest airport for several years in terms of international passenger traffic of 80.1 million passengers and serves 185 destinations in 84 countries. The British airport has a very high number of international passengers, with six terminals open to the public.

Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)

This international airport is the world’s largest air cargo centre. It handles over 5 million metric tons of cargo as of 2018. The airport experiences annual traffic of 74.5 million passengers The airport was closed during the pro-democracy protests.

Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG)

This international airport is one of two located in Shanghai. The other airport is the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. Pudong mainly serves domestic regional flights with annual traffic of over 74 million passengers.

Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)

This airport was named after the former French general and president, Charles de Gaulle. The construction of this airport was completed in 1974. The airport has been the second-busiest in Europe for several years running, with annual traffic of 72.2 million passengers.

Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK)

This international Airport is known to be the largest in the Southeast Asia region, spanning over 32.4 sq. km. The airport opened operations in 2006 and has 3 main terminals. Two for international flights and one serving only domestic flights.,

Cairo International Airport (CAI)

The airport started the activity in 1945 in Heliopolis. The airport covers 36.3 sq. km and is the busiest airport in Egypt. It is a primary hub for Egypt Air and Nile Air. The airport has four terminals serving both international and domestic flights. In 2011, the Season Flight Terminal was built to ease operational strains on existing terminals during the pilgrim season. The airport has two runways.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)

It was formerly the Houston Intercontinental Airport” opened in 1969. It serves as the second-largest aviation hub in the United States spread over 40.5 sq. km. The airport has five terminals serving both domestic and international operations.

Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX)

The airport holds the title of the largest single-building airport in the world. It spans over 47 sq. km and was opened in 2019. It has become the main hub for three major Chinese airlines. The airport has only one terminal which is the largest single-building terminal in the world, with five concourses. It looks like a starfish when looked at from the sky. It has four runways.

Orlando International Airport (MCO)

This airport began its commercial services in 1981 and is currently a major operating hub for three major airlines. The main terminal is divided into two terminals each connected to two airside terminals, operating both local and international flights. The airport has 4 runways and spans over 50 sq. km.

Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)

The Washington Dulles International Airport was launched in 1962. It is the main hub for United Airlines. The airport has a main terminal and two midfield terminal buildings with four concourses. The airport also has four runways and spans over 52.6 sq. km.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)

The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport started operations in 1974 and is a major aviation hub for American Airlines. The airport has five terminals serving both international and domestic flights. The airport has seven runways and spans over 69.5 sq. km. The DFW airport is the only one in the world with four serviceable paved runways longer than 4,000 metres

Denver International Airport (DEN)

The Denver International Airport began its operations in 1995. It is a hub for United Airlines and Frontier Airlines. It is also a base for Southwest Airlines.

The airport has one major terminal connected to three major midfield concourses. The airport has six runways and spans 135.7 sq. km.

King Fahd International Airport (DMM)

The King Fahd International Airport is also known as Dammam Airport. It began operations in 1999. It is a hub to Saudia, SaudiGulf Airlines and Flynas. The airport has three terminal buildings, with a six-storey main terminal operating international and domestic flights. The royal terminal serves the royal family of Saudi Arabia, official guests and government officials. Aramco Terminal serves private airlines operated by Saudi Aramco. The airport spans over 776 sq. km making it one of the biggest airports in the world.