The Busiest Airports: A Country-Wise Breakdown

which conuty has the busiest airport

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, is the world's busiest airport, a position it has held for 26 of the last 27 years. In 2024, Atlanta's airport served about 108 million passengers, followed by Dubai International Airport with 92 million passengers. The 10 busiest airports in the world were responsible for 855 million passengers, or 9% of global traffic.

Characteristics Values
Busiest airport in the world Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Number of passengers in 2024 108 million
Number of non-stop destinations 150 in 6 continents
Country with the most airports in the top 50 list The United States (15)
Second busiest airport in the world Dubai International Airport
Number of passengers at Dubai airport in 2024 92 million

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Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia, USA

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia, USA, is the world's busiest airport. In 2024, the airport saw 108 million passengers, a remarkable number that has helped the airport retain its position as the world's busiest airport for over 25 years.

The airport's location between North America, Europe, and Latin America makes it an ideal connecting hub for domestic and international travellers. It offers 150 non-stop destinations across six continents. The airport is also a major hub for Delta Air Lines, connecting travellers to 300+ destinations worldwide.

Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is located 10 miles from Downtown Atlanta, with easy access to the city and its surrounding areas. The airport has its own train station on Atlanta's rapid transit system, MARTA, served by the Red and Gold lines. The airport station is inside the main building, between the north and south domestic terminals. The airport is also accessible by car via Interstate 85 and Interstate 75.

The airport complex includes the Maynard H. Jackson International Terminal, which opened in 2012 to serve international passengers. The airport employs about 55,300 people and has a significant economic impact on the local and regional economy, contributing over $19.8 billion annually.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport offers a range of amenities, including over 300 dining and retail options, many of which are accessible outside the security checkpoint. The airport also has a designated pickup and drop-off area for ridesharing services and a SkyTrain that connects the rental car centre and the domestic terminal.

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Dubai International Airport, UAE

Dubai International Airport (DXB) is the world's busiest airport in terms of international passenger traffic as of 2024. It is also the busiest airport in the Middle East and the second busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic, handling over 92 million passengers in 2024. The airport is located in the Al Garhoud district, 2.54 nautical miles (4.7 km) east of Dubai's city centre and covers an area of 2,900 hectares (7,200 acres). Terminal 3, which is Emirates' hub, is the third-largest building in the world by floor space and the largest airport terminal globally.

Dubai International Airport is a significant hub for business and investment, with 106 international airlines flying into the city. The airport offers a range of services and facilities for travellers, including boutique shopping, dining options, sleep pods, and spa treatments. It also provides easy transport links to the city, such as hotel shuttles, taxis, and the Dubai Metro.

The airport plays a crucial role in Dubai's economy, contributing over US$26.7 billion in 2014, which accounted for about 27% of the city's GDP and 21% of employment. The expansion of the airport in the 1970s, including the construction of a new terminal building, control tower, and runway extensions, enabled it to handle wide-body aircraft like the Boeing 747 and Concorde.

Dubai International Airport has faced challenges such as drone attacks by Houthi rebels in 2018 and strict drug laws enforced by the authorities. Despite these issues, the airport continues to thrive and is an essential gateway to Dubai, a city that attracts visitors from around the world.

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Shanghai's Pudong Airport, China

Shanghai's Pudong International Airport is one of the two international airports serving Shanghai, China. The airport is located about 30 kilometres (19 miles) east of the city centre, occupying a 40-square-kilometre (10,000-acre) site adjacent to the coastline in eastern Pudong. Pudong Airport is a fast-growing hub for both passenger and cargo traffic. It is the world's third-busiest airport by cargo traffic, handling 3,440,084 metric tons in 2024. In 2023, the airport served a total of 54,476,397 passengers, making it the second busiest airport in China, the sixth busiest in Asia, and the 21st busiest in the world. Pudong Airport is also the busiest international gateway in mainland China, with approximately 35.25 million international passengers.

Pudong Airport serves both international flights and a smaller number of domestic flights, while Shanghai's other primary airport, Hongqiao Airport, mainly serves domestic and regional flights within East Asia. Pudong Airport is the main hub for China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines and a significant international hub for Air China and a secondary hub for China Southern Airlines. It also serves as the hub for privately owned airlines Juneyao Air and Spring Airlines. In addition, it is the Asia-Pacific cargo hub for FedEx, UPS, and DHL, with the DHL hub being the largest express hub in Asia.

The construction of Pudong International Airport's first phase began in October 1997 and was completed in two years at a cost of RMB 12 billion (US$1.67 billion). The airport officially opened on 1 October 1999, with one 4E category runway, two parallel taxiways, a cargo warehouse, and an 800,000-square-metre apron with seventy-six aircraft positions. Terminal 1, shaped like a seagull, has a capacity of 20 million passengers and features 204 check-in counters and thirteen luggage conveying belts. The terminal currently has 28 gates, with 13 of them being double-decker gates.

To accommodate growing demand, construction on an additional satellite concourse facility began in December 2015, and it officially opened in September 2019. This new facility, the largest stand-alone satellite airport terminal building in the world, provides additional gates and terminal space to support 38 million passengers annually through 90 departure gates across two concourses. Pudong Airport currently has four runways, with two primarily used for landing and the other two for takeoff. The airport is connected to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport by the Shanghai Metro Line 2 and the Shanghai Maglev Train, and airport buses link it to the rest of the city.

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Tokyo Haneda International Airport, Japan

Tokyo Haneda International Airport, also known as Haneda Airport, is one of the two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other being Narita International Airport. It is located in Ōta, Tokyo, 15 kilometres south of Tokyo Station. The airport covers 1,522 hectares of land and has four runways.

Haneda Airport has a long history, dating back to the postwar years when it was known as Tokyo International Airport. It did not have a passenger terminal building during those early years, but that changed in 1955 when the first passenger terminal was developed by the Japan Airport Terminal Co., Ltd. Haneda received its first international passenger flights in 1947 when Northwest Orient Airlines began operating DC-4 flights across the North Pacific to the United States and within Asia.

Today, Haneda Airport is a bustling hub for both domestic and international travel. It serves as the primary domestic base for Japan's two largest airlines, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, as well as several other carriers. The airport has three domestic terminals and one international terminal, offering flights to destinations across Japan and worldwide. In 2018, Haneda handled 87,098,683 passengers, ranking as the third-busiest airport in Asia and the fourth-busiest in the world. With its expansion in 2018, the airport is now able to accommodate 90 million passengers annually.

Haneda Airport is not just a transportation hub but also a destination in itself. It boasts a variety of food options, shopping opportunities, and attractions. Terminal 3 features Edo Ko-ji, a street modelled on the Tokyo of samurai days, with Japanese restaurants serving sushi and yakitori, as well as a certified vegan restaurant. Terminals 1 and 2 also offer a wide range of dining choices and cafes, along with approximately 160 shops. Duty-free shopping is available in Terminal 3, and passengers can also explore the Haneda Virtual Boutique in Terminal 2 for fashion items.

With its central location in the Haneda area of Ota city, Haneda Airport provides easy access to Tokyo's biggest neighbourhoods. Efficient transportation options, including train, bus, and taxi services, connect the airport to the city, making it a convenient gateway to the heart of Tokyo.

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Istanbul Airport, Turkey

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is currently the busiest airport in the world, with 108 million passengers in 2024. However, Istanbul Airport in Turkey is also one of the world's busiest airports, serving more than 76 million passengers in 2023, making it the second busiest airport in Europe and the Middle East.

Istanbul Airport is located in the Arnavutköy district on the European side of Istanbul, around 40km from Taksim and 52km from Kadıköy. It is one of three international airports in the city, along with Atatürk Airport and Sabiha Gökçen International Airport. All scheduled commercial passenger flights were transferred from Atatürk Airport to Istanbul Airport in April 2019 due to the former's inability to expand to meet growing demands.

The new Istanbul Airport serves over 350 domestic and international destinations in 110 countries, with non-stop flights to six continents. It is the largest airport in Turkey and has been named the "'World's Best Airport' by Travel & Leisure magazine. It also received a 5-star rating from Skytrax and won the 2024 award for Best Airport Dining.

The airport currently has one terminal building, which is the biggest terminal building under one roof worldwide. It has four runways and five concourses, with plans to expand to four terminal buildings and six runways upon completion. The airport will eventually have the capacity to serve 200 million passengers annually, which would make it the world's biggest airport in terms of passenger volume.

Frequently asked questions

The busiest airport in the world is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the United States.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport served about 108 million passengers in 2024, a 2% decrease from 2019.

Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates is the second busiest airport in the world, serving 92 million passengers in 2024.

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