Transportation, particularly air travel, is key to global connectivity, with major international airports driving the movement of people and goods.
- Business Insider Africa presents the worlds busiest international airports in 2024
- The list is courtesy of OAG
- Dubai International Airport (DXB) maintained its position as the World’s Busiest International Airport in 2024 with 60.2 million seats
These international airports across the world play a vital role in facilitating communication, relationships and transactions worldwide.
In 2024, the aviation industry faced several challenges, including crashes and regulatory issues.
Despite these obstacles, the sector performed well in terms of flight operations across different regions, continuing to support the movement of people and goods globally.
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Global aviation in a nutshell
A report by Airports Council International (ACI) projects global passenger volume in 2024 to reach approximately 9.5 billion, marking a 104% recovery to pre-2019 levels and a 10% year-on-year (YoY) growth from 2023.
Total passenger traffic for 2023 was recorded at 8.7 billion.
North America’s aviation thrives on a strong economy and high demand for domestic and international travel.
Europe’s growth is fueled by interconnected hubs and low-cost carriers. In Asia-Pacific, economic growth and urbanization drive demand for both leisure and business travel.
The Middle East benefits from strategic international transit hubs like Dubai.
Africa’s aviation growth faces challenges from infrastructure and political instability, despite rising economic development and tourism.
In Latin America, economic growth and regional connectivity drive traffic, although instability can affect stability.
The 2024 busiest airport report
The World’s Busiest Airports of 2024, powered by OAG’s Global Airline Schedules Data provides insight for the whole year of 2024 (January to December) and includes comparison to 2023 and 2019.
According to OAG, the world’s busiest airports are ranked based on total airline capacity, including both domestic and international flights.
Meanwhile, the top 10 busiest international airports are ranked based solely on international airline capacity. These rankings reflect scheduled one-way airline capacity for the year 2024.
The table below shows the ranking for the worlds busiest international airports in 2024;
| 2024 Rank | Airport Code | Airport Name | Seats (Total) | 2023 Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DXB | Dubai International | 60,236,220 | 1 |
| 2 | LHR | London Heathrow | 48,358,450 | 2 |
| 3 | ICN | Seoul Incheon International | 41,633,831 | 7 |
| 4 | SIN | Singapore Changi | 41,530,309 | 5 |
| 5 | AMS | Amsterdam | 39,998,853 | 3 |
| 6 | IST | Istanbul | 38,636,958 | 6 |
| 7 | CDG | Paris Charles de Gaulle | 38,482,460 | 4 |
| 8 | FRA | Frankfurt International | 35,736,533 | 8 |
| 9 | HKG | Hong Kong International | 34,607,000 | 11 |
| 10 | DOH | Doha (QA) | 32,455,882 | 9 |
The top 10 busiest international airports accounted for around 411,676,496 passengers globally in 2024, highlighting their crucial role in global air travel.
Dubai International Airport (DXB) maintained its position as the world’s busiest international airport with 60.2 million seats, a title it also held in 2023 and 2019.
London Heathrow Airport (LHR) secured second place with 48.4 million seats, reflecting a 4% increase in airline capacity compared to 2023.
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Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) rose four places to become the third busiest international airport, reaching 41.6 million seats, with a 24% growth in capacity from 2023. However, it fell slightly behind its 2019 levels by 2%.
Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) experienced the highest capacity increase among the top 10 busiest international airports, growing by 40% to become the ninth busiest, although it remains 23% below its 2019 capacity.
Istanbul Airport (IST) saw the largest growth compared to 2019, with a 20% increase in airline capacity, reaching 38.6 million seats and climbing to sixth place.
