Top 5 largest airports in the world

Airports are places where people pass through for a few hours or more, and are often the obligatory stop-off point on long-haul journeys. Increasingly large to accommodate the flow of passengers in transit, some are even veritable cities, with everything you need right inside the walls! Hotels, luxury and souvenir shops, restaurants… a whole range of services to make the waiting hours between flights as pleasant as possible.

Are you more interested in these immense buildings, marvels of modern technology? Come and discover our ranking, based on 2022 figures, of the world’s busiest airports in terms of traffic, whether in the city or in the desert, which we felt was the most significant criterion when talking about large airports rather than in terms of surface area.

What are the world’s biggest airports?

1. Atlanta H.-Jackson International Airport in Georgia, USA (93.70 million passengers)

Both the largest airport in the world and the most iconic in the United States, Atlanta International Airport (Hartsfield Jackson International Airport) is the world’s largest in terms of passenger numbers, welcoming almost 94 million people in 2022. It is named after two of the city’s mayors who helped build the airport.

The world’s largest airport is equipped with a train that spells out the terminals, and has a geographical position that easily gives it this top ranking: it is estimated that it is roughly 80% of the way to the entire US population! It is therefore well located for both domestic and international flights for every traveller.

2. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, USA (73.36 million passengers)

Located halfway between the city of Dallas and Fort Worth, the international airport handled more than 73 million passengers in 2022, and is one of the largest cargo airports in the United States. It is the largest airport in Texas and has a high-speed tram called the Skylink that serves the airport’s 5 terminals every two minutes.

3. Denver International Airport, USA (69.29 million passengers)

This international airport is the largest in the United States in terms of surface area, with a total of 137.8 km2 of land located to the north-east of the city of Denver. Its architecture and size make it one of the best-known airports in the United States, with a white fibreglass roof designed to resemble the snow-capped mountains of the Rocky Mountains. Its 100-metre high control tower is one of the tallest in North America (it is ex eco with Dubai International Airport, handling 70 million passengers).

4. Chicago O’Hare International Airport, USA (68.34 million passengers)

This international airport was named at its inauguration in honour of the United States Navy’s first ace pilot, Edward O’Hare, who died fighting for his nation. This international airport was originally a factory during the Second World War, and served as a storage facility for rare or experimental aircraft, which were later transferred to the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Chicago International Airport is also the location of the famous film “Mommy, I Missed the Plane”, a family favourite at Christmas time!

5. Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates (66.07 million passengers)

The main entry point for visiting the city of Dubai, this airport is a real introduction to the city, which is a collection of folie de grandeur and shopping paradise! Terminal 3 boasts a huge shopping centre, playground, hotels and even a “Zen Garden”… This terminal, the last to be inaugurated in 2008, is shaped like the wing of an aircraft, and at one kilometre long and 1,500,000 m2, it is one of the largest buildings in the world.

King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia is the largest in terms of surface area.

In France, Charles de Gaulle international airport is the biggest, with dozens of airlines on the list of planes that land and take off every day, and finally Beijing international airport, the biggest in Asia.