Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) held its lead as the busiest global airport based on international and domestic capacity in 2024 with 62.7 million seats, an increase of 2 percent over 2023 but is still 1 percent below 2019 levels. The rankings, which cover January to December 2024, are drawn from an analysis of Global Airline Schedules Data from travel data platform OAG.

The list placed Dubai International (DXB) second overall and, with 60.2 million seats, the leader in international capacity. In contrast, ATL’s 8.9M international seats demonstrates the importance of domestic travel in the US, according to OAG.

Four of the top ten busiest global airports on the list are located in the US. Number five Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) has seen an 18 percent rise in capacity to 51.5 million seats over the past five years, while number six Denver International’s (DEN) capacity jumped 24 percent to 49.2 million seats in the same time period. By contrast, in 2019, neither airport made the top ten.

Tokyo Haneda (HND) came in third followed by London Heathrow (LHR) in fourth. After DFW and DEN, the remaining airports in the top ten include China’s Guangzhou Baiyun International (CAN) at number seven, with Istanbul Airport (IST) moving up to eighth place, reflecting its growing importance as a global hub.

Rounding out the top ten busiest airports in the world were Shanghai Pudong (PVG) at number nine and Chicago O’Hare (ORD) in tenth place.

“Atlanta’s continued global leadership reflects the airport’s strength as a major connecting hub for both domestic and international capacity, supported by a strong set of base airlines,” OAG’s Chief Analyst, John Grant commented. “Recent developments in both Dallas Ft Worth and Denver highlight the competitive nature of the market in the United States which results in choices for the connecting traveler market.”

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