World’s busiest airport in 2024 revealed

World’s busiest airport in 2024 revealed

OAG, the leading data platform for the global travel industry, today has unveiled its annual ranking of the world’s busiest airports for 2024.

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL)continues to lead as the world’s busiest global (international + domestic capacity) airport with 62.7 million seats. Capacity at ATL has increased by 2 percent compared to 2023 but is still just below 2019 levels by 1 percent.

Dubai International Airport (DXB) is second busiest and also the leader in international capacity, increasing seats by 7 percent year-on-year to 6.2 million. Tokyo Haneda (HND) is in third with 55.2 million seats, a 5 percent increase on 2023, followed by London Heathrow (LHR) in fourth place.

London Heathrow Airport (LHR) in fourth place had 51.5M seats and is the busiest airport in Europe, followed by Istanbul (IST) and Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG).

In the US Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and Denver International (DEN) have significantly boosted their capacities by 18 percent and 24 percent respectively, earning their fifth and sixth places in the rankings.

China’s Guangzhou Baiyun International (CAN) and Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) take 7th and 9th position, as China’s air capacity continues to recover from the impacts of the global pandemic. PVG is the fastest growing Top 10 airport with capacity growth of 29 percent propelling it from 15th to 9th position over the year. Istanbul Airport (IST) moves up to eighth place, reflecting its growing importance as a global hub.

OAG’s Chief Analyst, John Grant commented: “With growth across all regions of the world, the ten busiest airports once again reflect the strong recovery in the aviation sector in the last two years. From the successes in Dallas Ft Worth and Guangzhou to the more recent rapid recovery in capacity at Shanghai Pudong, airlines continue to power ahead with new routes and services despite the supply chain challenges of the post pandemic world.”

Picture of Edward Hardy

Edward Hardy

Having become a journalist after university, Edward Hardy has been a reporter and editor at some of the world's leading publications and news sites. In 2022, he became Air Cargo Week's Editor. Got news to share? Contact me on Edward.Hardy@AirCargoWeek.com

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