Hartsfield-Jackson: America's Largest Airport Hub

The largest airport in the US by land area is Denver International Airport (DEN), which covers 52.4 square miles. It is also the third-largest airport in the world by land area and the third-busiest airport in the country, handling over 77.8 million passengers annually. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is the second-largest airport in the US by land area, covering 26.9 square miles. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is the busiest airport in the US, serving approximately 45 million passengers in 2022.

Denver International Airport is the largest in the US

Denver International Airport is the largest airport in the US by area, covering a surface area of 135 square kilometres (52.4 square miles). In fact, it is the largest airport in North America and the third largest in the world.

The airport is located 25 miles from downtown Denver and has six runways. It serves as a major hub for both domestic and international flights, with 26 domestic and international airlines operating from the airport, including British Airways, Lufthansa, and JetBlue.

Denver International Airport is also one of the biggest employers in Colorado, with over 35,000 employees. It handled 77.8 million passengers in 2023, making it the third busiest airport in the country. The airport has three terminals and 163 gates, with a recent expansion adding 39 new gates.

The airport is known for its iconic peaked roof design, inspired by the snow-capped Rocky Mountains. It also features an 82,000-square-foot outdoor plaza and three outdoor decks with views of the Colorado plains.

Denver International Airport was inaugurated in 1995 and was designed to allow for future expansion. The airport currently occupies only a fraction of its massive space, with room for two more concourses.

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is the second largest

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport: The Second Largest Airport in the US

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is the second-largest airport in the United States by land area. Covering 69.63 square kilometres (or 26.89 square miles), it is surpassed only by Denver International Airport, which covers 135 square kilometres.

Location and Service

Located between Dallas and Fort Worth, DFW airport serves the North Texas region. It is the primary international airport for the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. As of 2023, it serves 254 destinations, including 63 international and 191 domestic. Notably, it offers service to more nonstop destinations than any other airport in North America. Every major city in the contiguous US can be reached in four hours or less.

History

The idea for a joint airport serving Dallas and Fort Worth was first proposed in 1927, but Fort Worth initially declined the offer. After several failed attempts to build a shared airport, the cities finally agreed on a location in 1966, and construction began in 1969. The airport opened for commercial service in 1974.

Operations and Accolades

DFW airport has five terminals and 174 gates. It is the largest hub for American Airlines, which has a presence in every terminal. In 2023, the airport served a record-breaking 81.7 million passengers. It has also been recognised for its customer service, being named the best large airport in North America for customer satisfaction in 2016 and again in 2024.

Future Plans

DFW airport has embarked on a series of expansion projects expected to last until 2028. This includes the construction of Terminal F, which will add 15 new gates, and renovations to Terminal C, which will add nine additional gates.

Orlando International Airport is the third largest

Orlando International Airport is the third-largest airport in the US in terms of passenger traffic, serving 57.7 million passengers in 2023. It is also one of the busiest airports in the world, ranking within the top 20. Orlando is a medium-sized US city, ranking 23rd in the country, but its airport sees more than double its population in visitors each year. This is due to the city being one of the most visited in the world, playing host to world-famous attractions such as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios. It is also a hub for conferences and conventions and is home to one of the largest public universities in the US.

Orlando International Airport is located six miles southeast of Downtown Orlando, Florida, and covers 47 square kilometres (18.1 sq mi) of land. It is the primary international airport for the city and the busiest in the state of Florida. The airport has three terminals and four airside concourses, with a total of 93 gates. It is served by over 40 airlines, with Southwest Airlines being the market leader, serving more than 94,000 annual flights.

The airport was originally constructed as a US Army Air Forces facility in 1942, and was known as Orlando Army Air Field #2. It was renamed Pinecastle Army Airfield in 1943 and was briefly used for testing the Bell X-1 aircraft. The site was then converted into a joint civil-military facility in the early 1960s, with airline flights beginning in October 1961. The airport became a U.S. Customs Service Foreign Trade Zone in 1978 and gained international airport status in 1976.

Orlando International Airport has undergone several expansions over the years, with the addition of new terminals, concourses, and runways. The airport is also home to a maintenance base for United Airlines and was a hub for Delta Air Lines until 2007. The airport features an on-site Hyatt Regency hotel, an interfaith chapel, and its own radio station, FlyMCO 105.1 HD2.

Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the busiest in the world

Atlantas Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the busiest airport in the world, serving over 100 million travellers in a single year. In 2023, the airport served a record-breaking 104.6 million travellers, an 11.7% increase from the previous year. The Airports Council International (ACI) attributes this to the recovery of the demand for domestic flights and the resurgence of international air travel.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has been the busiest airport in the world every year since 1998, except in 2020 when travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic were in place. The airport is a global gateway, offering nonstop service to more than 150 domestic and 70 international destinations. These include major commercial centres in Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, Africa, and South and Central America.

The airport is also a major economic hub, generating a $34.8 billion economic impact for metro Atlanta and providing more than 63,000 jobs on-site, making it the state's largest employer. With its capital improvement program ATLNext, a 20-year blueprint for growth, the airport is set to modernise and expand its facilities, solidifying its position as a leader in economic strength and customer service.

Despite being the busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger traffic, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is not among the top 10 biggest airports in the US when it comes to surface area. Denver International Airport, the biggest airport in the US by size, covers 53 square miles, while Hartsfield-Jackson is not listed in the sources provided. This shows that an airport's size does not always correlate with its passenger traffic, as larger airports may have fewer flights or destinations.

In summary, Atlantas Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport's high number of travellers, global connections, and economic impact make it the busiest airport in the world, a title it has held consistently since 1998. With its ongoing improvements and expansion plans, the airport is well-positioned to maintain its status as a leader in aviation and economic development.

Detroit Metropolitan Airport is the tenth largest

The airport was originally constructed in 1929 on 2.6km² (one square mile) of land bought by Michigan's Wayne County, which still owns the airport. To meet expected traffic volumes, the North Terminal opened in 2008, replacing the former Barry and Smith terminals. The McNamara Terminal has three concourses with 103 gates, which are used by Delta Air Lines and its partners Aeromexico and Air France. There are 62 gates at Concourse A, 12 of which are for international boarding, with 10 featuring dual jet bridge loading and unloading to speed up deplaning. Concourses B and C at the terminal are used for smaller aircraft operating on regional flights and are connected to Concourse A by a tunnel featuring a decorative colour-changing light installation.

Given how heavily it is used, the Detroit Metropolitan Airport will likely be expanded in the near future.

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