The title for world’s busiest airport goes to…, not London, New York, Beijing, only one Indian airport in Top 10 list, the name is…

New Delhi: Dubai International Airport maintained its position as the busiest international airport in the world in 2024, as global air travel exceeded pre-pandemic levels, Bloomberg reported citing data from Airports Council International (ACI). Following Dubai, London Heathrow Airport ranked second in international passenger traffic, with Seoul Incheon securing third, Singapore Changi and Amsterdam Schiphol rounded out the top five busiest airports for international flights.

The ACI report further informed that the Gulf megahub, the home base for Emirates Airlines, handled 92.3 million travelers last year, up 6.1 percent from 2023. London’s Heathrow was second, followed by Seoul Incheon. Singapore and Amsterdam rounded out the top five. Air travel soared in 2024, with total passenger numbers rising 9 percent to around 9.5 billion, the report said. That’s about 3.8 percent higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

“Amid global challenges, the resilience of the world’s busiest airports shines,” ACI World Director General Justin Erbacci said in a statement. “These hubs are vital arteries of trade, commerce, and connectivity.”

“Key challenges such as economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and airline capacity constraints are expected to increasingly shape the industry’s trajectory,” it said.

Here are some of the key details:

  • Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson — the global hub and headquarters for Delta Air Lines Inc. — remained the busiest globally
  • Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson handled 108.1 million people. It was followed by Dubai and Dallas-Fort Worth.
  • India’s Delhi airport (Indira Gandhi International airport) was ranked the 8th busiest airport in the world with 77.8 million passengers, one spot above the Shanghai airport.
  • Hong Kong International Airport also extended its lead as the busiest cargo airport, handling 4.9 million metric tonnes of freight.
  • Shanghai jumped one spot to second while Memphis slipped to third.

Global air travel surged in 2024, with the total number of passengers increasing by 9 per cent to around 9.5 billion, surpassing pre-Covid-19 traffic by about 3.8 per cent.

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