Atlanta, Dubai, and the Rise of Shanghai: The World’s Busiest Airports Unpacked
Atlanta was followed by Dubai and Dallas-Fort Worth as the second and third busiest, respectively
Photo: Courtesy of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
With more than 100 million passengers passing through its gates in 2024, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) has retained its spot as the busiest airport in the world, according to the latest data from Airports Council International (ACI) World.
Airport Focus: ATL and DXB
A total of 108,067,766 passengers traveled through ATL last year, a 3.3 percent increase compared to 2023. However, the Delta Air Lines hub still has plenty of room for growth, as passenger numbers are still 2.2 percent below pre-pandemic levels.
Photo: Centurion Lounge, Atlanta. Courtesy of Enrique Perrella
Atlanta was followed by Dubai International Airport (DXB) as the world’s second-busiest airport, which saw a total of 92.3 million passengers pass through its gates in 2024. In third place was American Airlines hub Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), which welcomed 87,817,864 travelers in 2024.
The top ten busiest airports in 2024 remained largely unchanged from 2023, reflecting their consistent importance as major hubs for international travel.
China is Back
However, one new entry—Shanghai Pudong (PVG)— jumped from 21st place in 2023 to 10th in 2024 after a 41 percent increase in passenger numbers year-on-year, knocking Los Angeles (LAX) out of the top ten.
Photo: Shanghai Pudong International Airport. Courtesy of Yi Wei / Unsplash
These were the world’s ten busiest airports in 2024, according to ACI World:
Ranking Airport 2024 Passenger Change vs 2023 Change vs 2019
1 Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) 108,067,766 +3.3% -2.2%
2 Dubai International Airport (DXB) 92,331,506 +6.1% +6.9%
3 Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) 87,817,864 +7.4% +17.0%
4 Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) 85,900,617 +9.1% +0.5%
5 London Heathrow Airport (LHR) 83,884,572 +5.9% +3.7%
6 Denver International Airport (DEN) 82,358,744 +5.8% +19.3%
7 Istanbul Airport (IST) 80,073,252 +5.3% +53.4%
8 Chicago O’Hare Interanational Airport (ORD) 80,043,050 +8.3% -5.4%
9 New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) 77,820,834 +7.8% +13.6%
10 Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) 76,787,039 +41.0% +0.8%
Dubai Leads International Traffic
ACI World also ranked airports based on international passenger numbers, with Dubai retaining the top spot for the 11th consecutive year. With no internal flights out of DXB, all 92.3 million of its passengers in 2024 were on international flights.
DXB was followed by London Heathrow (LHR) in second place and Seoul Incheon (ICN) in third, with over 79 million and 70 million international passengers, respectively.
Photo: Courtesy of Dubai International Airport
No U.S. airports made the top ten for international traffic, despite four being in the top ten busiest overall.
“Every year brings its own challenges in aviation, but some things remain constant,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports. “Dubai International (DXB) has retained its position as the world’s busiest airport for international passengers for the 11th consecutive year.
“While this achievement is measured in numbers, it speaks to something far greater than scale alone. It reflects the extraordinary power of Dubai as a destination in its own right – a city people choose to visit for tourism, for trade and business, or to call home.”
These were the world’s ten busiest airports for international travel in 2024, according to ACI World:
Ranking Airport 2024 Passenger Change vs 2023 Change vs 2019
1 Dubai International Airport (DXB) 92,331,506 +6.1% +7.0%
2 London Heathrow Airport (LHR) 79,194,339 +5.7% +4.1%
3 Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) 70,669,246 +26.7% +0.1%
4 Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) 67,063,00 +14.8% -0.8%
5 Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) 66,822,849 +8.0% -6.8%
6 Paris Charles de Gaulle Aiport (CDG) 64,469,356 +5.0% -7.7%
7 Istanbul Airport (IST) 62,975,429 +8.1% +59.1%
8 Frankfurt Airport (FRA) 56,185,219 +3.9% -10.9%
9 Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) 52,949,047 +34.4% -25.7%
10 Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH) 52,714,976 +14.8% +35.9%
Global Numbers on the Rise
In total, almost 9.5 billion passengers took to the skies last year, a nine percent increase compared to 2023 and 3.8 percent higher than pre-pandemic levels. A remarkable 855 million passengers passed through the top ten busiest airports alone, representing around nine percent of global traffic in 2024.
This significant growth in global passenger numbers came despite several external challenges to the aviation industry last year, including ongoing supply chain issues and aircraft production delays, geopolitical tensions affecting numerous flight routes, and rising inflation.
Photo: Courtesy of Yolanda Suen on Unsplash
“Amid global challenges, the resilience of the world’s busiest airports shines,” said Justin Erbacci, Director General of ACI World. “These hubs are vital arteries of trade, commerce, and connectivity. As air travel grows, ACI World stands ready to support its members, ensuring the smooth flow of people and goods that drive global economic, social, and cultural progress.”
ACI World also said that the continued growth of global passenger numbers could be threatened by any potential tariffs and disruption to international trade, which would, in turn, affect demand for international travel. Despite this, it still expects global passenger numbers to reach 9.9 billion in 2025 and climb to an incredible 19 billion over the next two decades.
“Obviously, if the uncertainty and tariffs and everything continues … it could impact the growth that we’re projecting right now,” said Erbacci in an interview last week. “But the prognosis for further growth is high, and we anticipate that our traffic numbers will double by 2045.”
