Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has maintained its status as the world’s busiest airport, with more than 106 million passengers passing through in 2025.
Based on passenger traffic, Dubai International Airport in the UAE came in second place, followed by Tokyo Haneda Airport in third, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas in fourth, and Shanghai Pudong International Airport in fifth.
The rankings come from Airports Council International (ACI) World, and are based on the number of passengers boarding and disembarking, with transit passengers only counted once.
While Atlanta’s airport retained its title, passenger traffic was actually down 1.6% on 2024, and down 3.8% on 2019.
Asia-Pacific airports are still rebounding from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, with Tokyo Haneda rising one spot versus 2024 and two spots versus 2019. Shanghai Pudong jumped from 10th to 5th, overtaking its 2019 position of 8th, while Guangzhou Baiyun went from 57th in 2022 to 9th in 2025.
“We congratulate the world’s busiest airports for managing growing air travel demand amid increasing operational complexity,” ACI World Director General Justin Erbacci said.
“These hubs keep people and goods moving, supporting global trade, tourism, and economic growth in their communities and regions.
“To help keep pace with rising demand, governments must prioritize sustained investment in airports and the broader aviation ecosystem.”
The busiest airports in Europe for 2025
Only two airports in Europe made the top 10 list of the world’s busiest airports based on passenger traffic for 2025.
London Heathrow, which saw 84,482,126 passengers in 2025, came out seventh, down from fifth in 2024.
Istanbul Airport in Turkey was just behind, with 84,437,710 passengers. The airport fell in the rankings from seventh to eighth, but made huge gains compared to 2019, when it was 28th in the world.
Top 10 busiest airports in 2025 (based on total passengers):
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia, US
- Dubai International Airport, UAE
- Tokyo Haneda Airport, Japan
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, US
- Shanghai Pudong International Airport, China
- O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, US
- London Heathrow Airport, UK
- Istanbul Airport, Turkey
- Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China
- Denver International Airport, Colorado, US
International travel numbers soar
Overall, international passenger traffic reached four billion in 2025 – a 5.9% gain on 2024, and 8.3% increased versus 2019.
While Atlanta was the busiest airport overall, the busiest airport for international passengers was Dubai, with 95,192,160 leaving or entering the city on flights. Due to the size of the country, domestic flights are not offered within the UAE.
London Heathrow came second for international flights, with 79,874,784 passengers, meaning around 4.6 million flew domestically last year.
South Korea’s Incheon International – the main airport serving the capital Seoul – was third, followed by Singapore’s Changi Airport in fourth.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol was fifth, with 68,767,548 international passengers.
Other European airports in the top 10 for international passengers include Istanbul Airport (sixth), Paris Charles de Gaulle (seventh) and Frankfurt (ninth).
Top 10 busiest airports in 2025 (based on international passengers only):
- Dubai International Airport, UAE
- London Heathrow Airport, UK
- Incheon International Airport, South Korea
- Changi Airport, Singapore
- Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Netherlands
- Istanbul Airport, Turkey
- Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, France
- Hong Kong International Airport
- Frankfurt Airport, Germany
- Hamad International Airport, Qatar
According to ACI World, jet fuel prices fell 13% year-on-year while inflation eased, boosting purchasing power so that passenger demand was stable.
Suffice to say, that won’t be the case this year…
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