The World's Largest Airport: Where Size Matters

The world's biggest airport by land area is King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia, which covers a massive 776 square kilometres (299.61 square miles). To put that into perspective, it's nearly the same size as all five boroughs of New York City put together. The airport is located in Dammam and was named after the former King of Saudi Arabia, Fahd ibn Abdulaziz. It began commercial operations in 1999 and can handle around 12 million passengers per year.

King Fahd International Airport, Saudi Arabia

King Fahd International Airport (KFIA) in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, is the world's largest airport by land area. Covering a massive 776 square kilometres (300 square miles), it is nearly the size of all five boroughs of New York City combined. The airport is located about 19 to 31 kilometres (19 to 22 miles) northwest of downtown Dammam and serves the entire Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. It is one of the four primary international airports in the kingdom.

The airport has a rich history, initially serving as a US airbase during the Gulf War before commencing commercial operations on 28 November 1999. Currently, it serves as a hub for airlines like Flynas, Flyadeal, and Saudia, accommodating around 37 to 837 airlines and 10 to 12 million passengers annually. The airport features two 4-kilometre-long runways and three terminal buildings: the Passenger Terminal, the Aramco Terminal, and the Royal Terminal.

The Passenger Terminal, with six storeys and an area of 327,000 square metres (3,520,000 square feet), is designed to handle approximately 12 million passengers annually. The Aramco Terminal is exclusively for Aramco employees, while the luxuriously furnished Royal Terminal is reserved for the Saudi royal family, government personnel, and VIP guests.

The airport boasts impressive facilities, including an onsite mosque that can accommodate 2,000 worshippers and is conveniently accessible from the passenger terminal via enclosed, air-conditioned bridges. Additionally, the airport has a residential community capable of accommodating 3,000 people and an extensive plant nursery that supplies greenery for the airport's landscaping.

Despite its vast size, King Fahd International Airport is not among the busiest airports globally, ranking only as the third busiest in Saudi Arabia. This is partly due to its past as a US airbase, with commercial operations beginning relatively recently in 1999.

Denver International Airport, USA

Denver International Airport (DEN) is the largest airport in the Western Hemisphere by land area, covering 52.4 square miles (135.7 square kilometres). It is the second-largest airport in the world, after King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia.

Located 25 miles from the city centre, the airport opened in 1995 and serves 25 airlines, offering non-stop services to over 215 destinations. It is a major hub for United Airlines and the largest operating base for Frontier Airlines and Southwest Airlines. With over 40,000 employees, it is the largest employer in Colorado.

The airport has consistently won awards, including being named the "Best Large Airport" in the 2021 USA Today Readers' Choice Awards, and the fifth-best airport in the 2020 Skytrax World Airport Awards.

Denver International Airport is currently undergoing a massive expansion, with plans to add 39 new gates and improve check-in and security processes.

The airport features an extensive public art collection, including sculptures, murals, photos, sound art, and paintings. One of the earliest public art commissions was the Blue Mustang statue by El Paso-born artist Luis Jiménez. The 32-foot-tall sculpture features a bright blue cast-fibreglass horse with glowing red eyes.

Conspiracy theories have long swirled around the airport, inspired by its art, architecture, and construction problems. The airport has embraced these theories, installing exhibitions and even an animatronic gargoyle that makes jokes about the supposed conspiracies.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is one of the largest airports in the world by land area. It is located in the Sepang District of Selangor, approximately 45km (28 miles) south of downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital city. The airport spans 100 square kilometres (39 sq mi) of former agricultural land and is recognised as a mega hub.

The airport has two terminals, KLIA1 and KLIA2, which act as standalone airports. The two terminals are connected by a three-minute rail line known as the KLIA Aerotrain. KLIA is the major hub for Malaysia Airlines, MASkargo, Batik Air Malaysia, UPS Airlines, and World Cargo Airlines. It is also the major operating base for AirAsia and AirAsia X.

The groundbreaking ceremony for KLIA took place on 1 June 1993, when the Malaysian government decided that the existing Kuala Lumpur airport, then known as Subang International Airport, could not handle future demand. The airport was designed by Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa and was officially inaugurated on 27 June 1998.

KLIA features a variety of world-class facilities, including prestigious brand boutiques, duty-free shops, restaurants, and premium passenger lounges. The airport is equipped to accommodate the Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger aircraft.

In 2023, KLIA handled 47.2 million passengers, 980,040 tonnes of cargo, and 819,026 aircraft movements, ranking as the 35th busiest airport by total passenger traffic. As of 2024, it has become the second most connected airport globally, according to the OAG Megahub Index, after London-Heathrow.

The airport has three parallel runways (14L/32R, 14R/32L, and 15/33), capable of handling 78 landings per hour. An ambitious three-phase development plan is anticipated to expand KLIA's capacity to three runways and two terminals, each with two satellite terminals, ultimately increasing its capacity to 100 million passengers per year.

Beijing Daxing International Airport, China

Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) is one of two international airports serving Beijing, the capital of China. It is located on the border of Beijing and Langfang, Hebei, 46 kilometres south of Tiananmen Square, and 65 kilometres south of Beijing Capital International Airport. The airport opened its doors on the 26th of September 2019, and is a multi-award-winning airport.

The airport's design is pioneering. The terminal, designed by renowned architect Zaha Hadid, is spread over 700,000 square metres, making it the largest single-building airport terminal in the world. The terminal's unique design resembles a gigantic starfish, with its five "tentacles" (concourses) extending up to 1 kilometre in length. The main feature of the innovative terminal is the dominance of natural light, creating a pleasant and relaxing travel experience for passengers. PKX Airport also boasts 4 runways and an impressive 82 boarding gates.

Several airlines are present at PKX Airport, serving domestic and international destinations. Overall, Beijing Daxing Airport is a hub for airline members of the SkyTeam Alliance, with some Oneworld members also present. Hainan Airlines and most Star Alliance carriers continue to operate from Beijing Capital Airport. PKX Airport is a hub for Air China, Beijing Capital Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, China United Airlines, and Xiamen Airlines, as well as a focus city for Hebei Airlines.

The airport is efficiently connected to the city of Beijing, located around 46 kilometres from the capital of China. Travellers wishing to get from PKX Airport to Beijing can choose from various options, including private airport transfers, the Beijing-Xiong'an Intercity Railway, the Daxing Airport Express subway line, and buses. Rental cars are also available at the airport.

PKX Airport offers a wide variety of services and amenities to cater to the needs of every passenger. These include cafes, restaurants, bars, baggage carts, luggage wrapping, meet-and-greet services, pharmacies, medical services, banks, ATMs, currency exchange areas, baby care rooms, play areas, lounges, spa facilities, and special services and amenities for passengers with disabilities.

The construction of the mega-airport, which is expected to become the busiest airport in the world, cost an estimated US$17.47 billion. The airport served more than 39.4 million passengers in 2023 and is expected to reach an outstanding 100 million passenger flow in the future.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, USA

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, located in the US state of Georgia, is one of the world's largest and busiest airports. The airport covers 4,700 acres (7.3 sq mi; 19 km2) of land and is located 10 miles (16 km) south of downtown Atlanta. Named after former Atlanta mayors William B. Hartsfield and Maynard Jackson, the airport has been a primary hub for international travel since 1998, with a brief exception in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport boasts five parallel runways, with the longest measuring 12,390 feet (3,776 m) and capable of handling large aircraft like the Airbus A380. The airport typically handles over 100 million passengers annually and is home to Delta Air Lines' corporate headquarters and primary hub. It also serves as an operating base for low-cost carriers such as Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Spirit Airlines.

The airport's history dates back to 1925 when it began as a five-year, rent-free lease on 287 acres of land that was once an abandoned auto racetrack. Over the years, it has undergone significant expansions and renovations, including the addition of multiple concourses and runways to accommodate the growing air traffic demand.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport offers both domestic and international services within North America and to Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and East Asia. It provides ground transportation options such as shared-ride shuttles and access to the city's rapid transit system, MARTA, with Red and Gold rail lines serving the airport.

The airport is a major economic driver for the region, employing about 55,300 people and contributing $3.2 billion to the local and regional economy annually. With its convenient location and efficient operations, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has established itself as one of the world's leading aviation hubs.

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