Top 10 (Worldwide) Busiest Passenger Airports in 2024
Airports Council International (ACI) has related the 2024 World’s Busiest Airports Revealed in Final Global Rankings. The results are compiled from over 2,800 airports across 185+ countries and territories. Global passenger traffic hit a new high in 2024, with a total of 9.4 billion travelers — up 8.4% from 2023 and 2.7% above pre-pandemic levels (2019).
These rankings reflect the scale of global aviation and the resilience of the industry that continues to grow, despite the complex global environment. In these times of constant change and uncertainty, reliable data like this is necessary to help airports navigate through the increasing headwinds. Our mission is to empower airports with data and intelligence like this report – as well with the tools, support and advocacy they need to thrive in this dynamic environment.- Justin Erbacci (ACI World Director General)
2024 Aircraft Movements
| Airport (Code) | Movements | 2023 Rank | 2023 Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta (ATL) | 796,224 | 1 | 2.6% |
| Chicago (ORD) | 776,036 | 2 | 7.7% |
| Dallas (DFW) | 743,203 | 3 | 7.8% |
| Denver (DEN) | 689,368 | 4 | 4.9% |
| Las Vegas (LAS) | 613,973 | 5 | 0.4% |
| Charlotte (CLT) | 596,583 | 7 | 10.7% |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 581,779 | 6 | 1.2% |
| Shanghai (PVG) | 528,074 | 18 | 21.7% |
| Istanbul (IST) | 517,284 | 8 | 2.2% |
| Guangzhou City (CAN) | 511,972 | 13 | 12.2% |
Aircraft movements from 2024 showed rapid growth in China. Shanghai (PVG) showed the most significant growth in the top 10, with a 21.7% increase compared to 2023, jumping from rank 18 to 8th position. Guangzhou City (CAN) also saw double-digit growth of 12.2%, moving from rank 13 into the 10th position. Seven of the ten top airports were located in the United States. Overall, there was a total of 6,354,496 movements (landings and takeoffs) in the Top 10, resulting in an annual growth of 5.5% from 2023.
2024 Passengers Traveled
| Airport (Code) | Passengers | 2023 Rank | 2023 Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta (ATL) | 108,067,766 | 1 | 3.3% |
| Dubai (DXB) | 92,331,506 | 2 | 6.1% |
| Dallas (DFW) | 87,817,864 | 3 | 7.4% |
| Tokyo (HND) | 85,900,617 | 5 | 9.1% |
| London (LHR) | 83,884,572 | 4 | 5.9% |
| Denver (DEN) | 82,358,744 | 6 | 5.8% |
| Istanbul (IST) | 80,073,252 | 7 | 5.3% |
| Chicago (ORD) | 80,043,050 | 9 | 8.3% |
| Delhi (DEL) | 77,820,834 | 10 | 7.8% |
| Shanghai (PVG) | 76,787,039 | 21 | 41.0% |
The United States holds four of the top 10 positions (Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, and Chicago). For the first time in many years, Los Angeles (LAX) dropped from 8th to 11th place with 76,588,028 passengers. Overall, there were a total of 855,085,244 traveling passengers in the Top 10, resulting in an annual growth of 6.1% from 2023.
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Closing Thoughts
With steady growth happening year-over-year post-pandemic, I expect 2025 will continue to show growth, but slightly less than the 8.4%. I think the tariffs and international tension will affect international traffic. I also predict that the top three operations (Atlanta, Chicago, and Dallas) will remain at the top, with Chicago showing the most growth among them. Starting next year, I will also include lounge numbers for the locations, including lounge growth for each airport.