The busiest airport in the world is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which handled 106.3 million passengers in 2025. Dubai International was second with 95.2 million and Tokyo Haneda third with 91.7 million.
These figures come from the final 2025 airport traffic rankings published by Airports Council International (ACI) World on 15 July 2026. India’s busiest airport, Delhi, ranked 11th. Below are the full top 20, the busiest airports for international passengers, cargo and flights, and where Indian airports stand.
Top 10 Busiest Airports in the World (2025)
- Atlanta stayed number one even though its traffic fell 1.6% compared with 2024.
- Tokyo Haneda moved up to third, passing Dallas/Fort Worth.
- Shanghai Pudong made the biggest jump in the top 10, from 10th to 5th, with traffic up 10.7%.
- The United States has four airports in the top 10: Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago O’Hare and Denver.
Top 20 Busiest Airports by Passengers
| Rank 2025 | Rank 2024 | Airport | Country | Passengers 2025 | Change vs 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (ATL) | United States | 106,302,208 | -1.6% |
| 2 | 2 | Dubai International (DXB) | UAE | 95,192,160 | +3.1% |
| 3 | 4 | Tokyo Haneda (HND) | Japan | 91,679,814 | +6.7% |
| 4 | 3 | Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) | United States | 85,660,127 | -2.5% |
| 5 | 10 | Shanghai Pudong (PVG) | China | 84,994,548 | +10.7% |
| 6 | 8 | Chicago O’Hare (ORD) | United States | 84,856,018 | +6.0% |
| 7 | 5 | London Heathrow (LHR) | United Kingdom | 84,482,126 | +0.7% |
| 8 | 7 | Istanbul (IST) | Turkey | 84,437,710 | +5.5% |
| 9 | 12 | Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) | China | 83,582,952 | +9.5% |
| 10 | 6 | Denver (DEN) | United States | 82,427,962 | +0.1% |
| 11 | 9 | New Delhi (DEL) | India | 78,148,081 | +0.4% |
| 12 | 13 | Seoul Incheon (ICN) | South Korea | 74,126,912 | +4.1% |
| 13 | 11 | Los Angeles (LAX) | United States | 73,709,594 | -3.8% |
| 14 | 14 | Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) | France | 72,029,407 | +2.5% |
| 15 | 16 | Beijing Capital (PEK) | China | 70,742,712 | +5.0% |
| 16 | 15 | Singapore Changi (SIN) | Singapore | 69,982,000 | +3.5% |
| 17 | 17 | Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) | Netherlands | 68,771,592 | +2.9% |
| 18 | 18 | Madrid-Barajas (MAD) | Spain | 68,118,754 | +3.0% |
| 19 | 22 | Shenzhen Bao’an (SZX) | China | 66,485,213 | +8.2% |
| 20 | 26 | Kuala Lumpur (KUL) | Malaysia | 63,409,501 | +11.0% |
Source: ACI World, 2025 final rankings. Passengers counted as those boarding and leaving flights at the airport.
According to ACI World, the top 20 airports handled 1.59 billion passengers in 2025, about 16% of all air travellers worldwide. Kuala Lumpur made the biggest move in the top 20, climbing from 26th to 20th.
Busiest Airports for International Passengers
If you count only international passengers, the order changes. In its preliminary 2025 ranking, ACI World named the top three for 2025 as:
- 1. Dubai International (DXB)
- 2. London Heathrow (LHR)
- 3. Seoul Incheon (ICN)
Dubai was also second overall, which shows how much of the world’s long-distance travel connects through it. Several of the longest flights in the world start or end at big international hubs like these.
Busiest Airports by Number of Flights
Passengers are only one way to measure an airport. Counting aircraft movements (every take-off and landing), US airports lead. ACI World notes that the four US airports in the passenger top 10 carry mostly domestic traffic, between 80% and 95%.
| Rank | Airport | Aircraft movements 2025 | Change vs 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago O’Hare (ORD) | 857,392 | +10.5% |
| 2 | Atlanta (ATL) | 807,625 | +1.4% |
| 3 | Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) | 743,394 | 0.0% |
| 4 | Denver (DEN) | 701,335 | +1.7% |
| 5 | Las Vegas (LAS) | 586,871 | -4.4% |
| 6 | Los Angeles (LAX) | 580,996 | -0.1% |
| 7 | Charlotte (CLT) | 574,193 | -3.8% |
| 8 | Shanghai Pudong (PVG) | 557,043 | +5.5% |
| 9 | Guangzhou (CAN) | 550,512 | +7.5% |
| 10 | Istanbul (IST) | 549,309 | +6.2% |
Source: ACI World.
Busiest Cargo Airports
For air cargo, Hong Kong is number one, handling 5,066,345 metric tonnes in 2025. Shanghai Pudong (4,091,941 tonnes) and Anchorage in Alaska (3,854,614 tonnes) followed. Global air cargo exceeded 131 million metric tonnes in 2025, up 3.3%, according to ACI World.
Busiest Airports in India
Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport is India’s busiest airport and the only Indian airport in the world top 20. It ranked 11th in 2025 with 78,148,081 passengers, down from 9th in 2024, because other airports grew faster.
For India-wide numbers, the Airports Authority of India publishes airport-wise traffic each month. Its passenger data for the financial year April 2025 to March 2026 shows:
| Airport | Passengers (FY 2025-26) | Change vs FY 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi (DEL) | 78,701,971 | -0.7% |
| Mumbai (BOM) | 55,290,095 | +0.3% |
| Bengaluru (BLR) | 44,470,035 | +6.2% |
| Hyderabad (HYD) | 30,483,885 | +3.4% |
| Chennai (MAA) | 23,017,324 | +2.7% |
| Kolkata (CCU) | 21,102,741 | -3.3% |
Source: Airports Authority of India, traffic news, March 2026 (total passengers, April 2025 to March 2026). AAI uses the Indian financial year, so its Delhi figure differs slightly from ACI’s calendar-year number.
Mumbai’s traffic is now also shared with the new Navi Mumbai International Airport, which opened on 25 December 2025. Airlines such as IndiGo fly from all of these airports; IndiGo alone serves 97 domestic destinations.
How the Ranking Works
ACI World is the trade body of the world’s airports. Each year it collects traffic data from more than 2,700 airports. It releases a preliminary ranking in April and a final ranking in July, and the numbers can change slightly between the two. Passengers are counted at each airport where they board or leave a flight, so a person flying Delhi to Dubai counts once at Delhi and once at Dubai.
Rankings by passengers favour airports with big domestic markets, such as Atlanta, Dallas and Chicago, or large international hubs, such as Dubai and Istanbul.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the busiest airport in the world?
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the United States. It handled 106,302,208 passengers in 2025, according to Airports Council International (ACI) World, keeping the top spot it held in 2024.
Which is the busiest airport in the world by international passengers?
Dubai International Airport. ACI World ranks it first for international passengers in 2025, ahead of London Heathrow and Seoul Incheon. Dubai was also the second busiest airport overall, with 95.2 million passengers.
Which airport has the most flights in the world?
Chicago O’Hare. It had 857,392 aircraft movements (take-offs and landings) in 2025, ahead of Atlanta with 807,625 and Dallas/Fort Worth with 743,394, according to ACI World.
What is the busiest airport in India?
Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. It ranked 11th in the world in 2025 with 78,148,081 passengers, and was the only Indian airport in ACI World’s global top 20. Mumbai and Bengaluru are next in India.
Is Delhi airport in the top 10 busiest airports in the world?
Not in 2025. Delhi was 9th in 2024 but moved down to 11th in 2025, even though its traffic grew slightly (by 0.4%), because airports such as Shanghai Pudong and Guangzhou grew much faster.
Which is the busiest cargo airport in the world?
Hong Kong. It handled 5,066,345 metric tonnes of air cargo in 2025, ahead of Shanghai Pudong and Anchorage.
How many passengers flew in 2025?
ACI World says global air travel reached 9.8 billion passengers in 2025, up 3.7% on 2024. The top 20 airports handled 1.59 billion of them, about 16% of the total.
How are the busiest airports ranked?
ACI World counts all passengers who board or leave flights at each airport (enplaned and deplaned) over a calendar year. It publishes a preliminary ranking in April and a final ranking, based on data from more than 2,700 airports, in July.
Featured image: formulanone, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.