Oag Ranks World’S Busiest Airports By Seat Capacity

OAG today unveiled its annual ranking of the world’s busiest airports for 2024 based on airline seat capacity.

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) continues to lead as the world’s busiest global (international + domestic capacity) airport with 62.7 million seats.

Capacity at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta has increased by 2% compared to 2023 but is still just below 2019 levels by 1%.

Dubai International Airport (DXB) is second busiest and also the leader in international capacity, increasing  seats by 7% year-on-year to 6.2 million.

Tokyo Haneda (HND) is in third with 55.2 million seats, a 5% increase on 2023, followed by London Heathrow (LHR) in fourth place.

Heathrow in fourth place had 51.5 million seats and is the busiest airport in Europe, followed by Istanbul (IST) and Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG).

In the US, Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and Denver International (DEN) have significantly boosted their capacities by 18% and 24% respectively, earning their fifth and sixth places in the rankings.

China’s Guangzhou Baiyun International (CAN) and Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) take 7th and 9th position, as China’s air capacity continues to recover from the impacts of the global pandemic.

PVG is the fastest growing Top 10 airport with capacity growth of 29% propelling it from 15th to 9th position over the year.

Istanbul Airport (IST) moves up to eighth place, reflecting its growing importance as a global hub.

OAG’s chief analyst, John Grant, commented: “With growth across all regions of the world, the ten busiest airports once again reflect the strong recovery in the aviation sector in the last two years.

“From the successes in DFW and Guangzhou to the more recent rapid recovery in capacity at Shanghai Pudong, airlines continue to power ahead with new routes and services despite the supply chain challenges of the post pandemic world.”

Find full rankings and methodology on OAG’s website.