Most of the world’s largest airports are found in the United States and China, serving tens of millions of passengers a year and offering a wide range of airport services.
The world’s biggest airport by the number of passengers a year is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the United States.
But, the world’s biggest airport by size is King Fahd International in Saudi Arabia.
Airports in North America and the Persian Gulf also have some of the largest traffic in the world.
These are the world’s largest airports by passenger traffic a year:
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (75,537,213 passengers)
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (62,465,756 passengers)
Denver International Airport (58,828,552 passengers)
O’Hare International Airport (54,020,399 passengers)
Los Angeles International Airport (48,007,284 passengers)
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (43,302,230 passengers)
Orlando International Airport (40,341,068 passengers)
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (40,249,670 passengers)
Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (40,117,496 passengers)
Harry Reid International Airport (39,710,493 passengers)
10 Biggest Airports in the World (By Size)
These are the world’s biggest airports according to their size.
King Fahd International (DMM) – 776 km2, or 299.61 mi2
Denver International(DEN) – 135.7 km2, or 53.09 mi2
Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) – 69.6km2, or 26.88 mi2
Orlando International (MCO) – 53.8 km2, or 20.78 mi2
Washington Dulles International (IAD) – 48.6 km2, or 18.75 mi2
Beijing Daxing International (PKX) – 46.6 km2, or 18 mi2
George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) – 44.5 km2, or 17.19 mi2
Shanghai Pudong International (PVG) – 39.9 km2, or 15.4 mi2
Cairo International (CAI) – 36.3 km2, or 14 mi2
Suvarnabhumi International (BKK) – 32.4 km2, or 12.51 mi2
10 Biggest Airports in the USA (By Passengers)
These are the 10 biggest airports in the United States by passengers a year:
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (75,537,213 passengers)
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (62,465,756 passengers)
Denver International Airport (58,828,552 passengers)
O’Hare International Airport (54,020,399 passengers)
Los Angeles International Airport (48,007,284 passengers)
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (43,302,230 passengers)
Orlando International Airport (40,341,068 passengers)
Harry Reid International Airport (39,710,493 passengers)
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (38,846, 713 passengers)
Miami International Airport (37,302,456 passengers)
10 Biggest Airports in the USA (By Size)
These are the 10 largest airports in the United States by size:
Denver International(DEN) – 135.7 km2, or 53.09 mi2
Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) – 69.6km2, or 26.88 mi2
Southwest Florida International Airport – 55 km2, or 21.2 mi2
Orlando International (MCO) – 53.8 km2, or 20.78 mi2
Washington Dulles International (IAD) – 48.6 km2, or 18.75 mi2
George Bush Intercontinental Airport – 40.5 km2, or 15.6 mi2
Salt Lake City International Airport – 31.1km2, or 12 mi2
O’Hare International Airport – 30.9km2, or 11.9 mi2
San Francisco International Airport – 21.07 km2, or 8.13 mi2
John F. Kennedy International Airport – 21 km2, or 8.1 mi2
Biggest Airport in Europe
The biggest airport in Europe by passenger traffic is Istanbul Airport, which is located in Arnavutkoy, Istanbul, Turkey, and receives 36,988,573 passengers a year.
The biggest airport in Europe by size is Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Rome, Italy, and is 29 km2, or 11.19 mi2, large.
Biggest Airport in Asia
The biggest airport in Asia by passenger traffic is Guangzhou Baiyun International airport in Baiyun-Huadu, Guangzhou, Guangdong in China, which sees 40,249,670 passengers a year.
The largest airport in Asia by size is King Fahd International (DMM) in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, and is 776 km2, or 299.61 mi2, large.
Biggest Airport in Africa
The biggest airport in Africa by both passenger traffic and size is Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Egypt.
Cairo International Airport receives 11,344,859 passengers a year and is over 40 km2, or 15.44 mi2, large.
Biggest Airport in South America
The biggest airport in South America by both passenger traffic and size is Sao Paulo/ Guarulhos International Airport, which is located in Guarulhos, Brazil.
This airport serves 24,121,535 passengers and is 13.86 km2, or 5.35 mi2, large.
Biggest Airport in Australia
The biggest airport by passenger traffic in Australia is Sydney Airport in Sydney, New South Wales and receives 8,900,000 passengers a year.
The biggest airport by size in Australia is Brisbane Airport in Brisbane, Queensland, and is 27k m2, or 10.42 mi2, large.
Smallest Airport in the World
The world’s smallest airport by size is Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport on the Saba Island of the Dutch Caribbean.
This airport is only 400 m2, 1,312 ft2, large.
Least Busy Airport in the World
The world’s smallest international airport by passenger traffic is likely Funafuti International Airport, which is found in the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu.
Funafuti International Airport sees flights just three times a week from Fiji Airways, and one flight a week from Air Kiribati.
Airport With the Most Flights Per Day
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International airport sees the most flights per day, with 1,938 flights.
The airport also reports an annual plane movement of 707,661 in 2021.
Plane movement is defined as the total number of plane takeoffs and landings.
Airport With the Most International Flights
London Heathrow Airport (LHR) is the most internationally connected airport, with a “Connectivity Index (CI)” of over 300.
In conclusion:
The world’s largest airport by passenger size is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the United States.
The world’s largest airport by size is King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia.
The United States is home to many of the world’s largest and busiest airports, alongside China.
Ella Dunham, a Freelance Travel Journalist and Marketing Manager, boasts an impressive career spanning eight years in the travel and tourism sectors.
Honored as one of "30 Under 30" by TTG Media (the world’s very first weekly travel trade newspaper), a "Tour Operator Travel Guru" and "Legend Award" winner, Ella is also a Fellow of the Institute of Travel, a Member of the Association of Women Travel Executives, has completed over 250 travel modules, and hosts travel-focused segments on national radio shows where she provides insights on travel regulations and destinations.
Ella has visited over 40 countries (with 10 more planned this year).
