166
Airports Tracked
55
Countries
4,072,145,215
Total Passengers/Year
Airport rankings are determined by annual passenger throughput — the total number of arriving and departing passengers in a calendar year. These statistics are sourced from airports' official annual reports and organizations like Airports Council International (ACI). The rankings reflect a post-pandemic aviation landscape where most major airports have surpassed 2019 passenger levels, driven by strong leisure travel demand and the gradual return of business travel.
Busiest Airports by Continent
Africa
| Rank |
Airport |
IATA |
Country |
Passengers/Year |
| 1 |
OR Tambo International Airport |
JNB |
South Africa |
22,000,000 |
| 2 |
Cairo International Airport |
CAI |
Egypt |
22,000,000 |
| 3 |
Cape Town International Airport |
CPT |
South Africa |
11,000,000 |
| 4 |
Mohammed V International Airport |
CMN |
Morocco |
10,000,000 |
| 5 |
Hurghada International Airport |
HRG |
Egypt |
8,500,000 |
See all airports in Africa →
Asia
| Rank |
Airport |
IATA |
Country |
Passengers/Year |
| 1 |
Beijing Capital International Airport |
PEK |
China |
100,000,000 |
| 2 |
Dubai International Airport |
DXB |
United Arab Emirates |
87,000,000 |
| 3 |
Tokyo Haneda Airport |
HND |
Japan |
85,000,000 |
| 4 |
Shanghai Pudong International Airport |
PVG |
China |
76,000,000 |
| 5 |
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport |
CAN |
China |
73,000,000 |
See all airports in Asia →
Europe
| Rank |
Airport |
IATA |
Country |
Passengers/Year |
| 1 |
London Heathrow |
LHR |
United Kingdom |
83,900,000 |
| 2 |
Istanbul Airport |
IST |
Turkey |
80,100,000 |
| 3 |
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport |
CDG |
France |
70,290,260 |
| 4 |
Amsterdam Schiphol |
AMS |
Netherlands |
66,800,000 |
| 5 |
Madrid-Barajas |
MAD |
Spain |
66,100,000 |
See all airports in Europe →
North America
| Rank |
Airport |
IATA |
Country |
Passengers/Year |
| 1 |
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport |
ATL |
USA |
93,700,000 |
| 2 |
Dallas Fort Worth Airport |
DFW |
USA |
81,800,000 |
| 3 |
Denver International Airport |
DEN |
USA |
77,800,000 |
| 4 |
Chicago O Hare Airport |
ORD |
USA |
77,000,000 |
| 5 |
Los Angeles International Airport |
LAX |
USA |
75,100,000 |
See all airports in North America →
How Airport Rankings Are Determined
Airport passenger rankings are based on annual passenger throughput — the total number of passengers (both departing and arriving) who pass through an airport in a given calendar year. Transfer passengers are counted once at each airport they transit through. These figures are typically published by airports themselves and compiled by international bodies such as the Airports Council International (ACI).
It's important to note that passenger numbers can fluctuate significantly year over year due to factors such as new airline routes, airport capacity expansions, economic conditions, and global events. Cargo-only traffic and aircraft movements (takeoffs and landings) are separate metrics and not reflected in these passenger rankings.