World’s Busiest Airports: Atlanta holds, Asia climbs

In 2025, global air travel reached 9.8 billion passengers, bringing the industry closer than ever to the 10 billion-passenger threshold, according to the 2026 ACI World Airport Traffic Dataset released today by Airports Council International (ACI) World. Covering passenger traffic, air cargo volumes, and aircraft movements, the dataset confirms that aviation continues to expand, while the global landscape of the airports driving that growth is evolving.

The dataset, which covers 2,817 airports across more than 180 countries and territories, shows that global passenger traffic rose 3.7% over 2024 and 6.5% above 2019 levels. The world's 20 busiest airports handled 1.59 billion passengers, representing 16% of all air travellers globally. Asia-Pacific airports led the year's ranking shifts, driven by infrastructure investment, connectivity improvements, and surging tourism demand.

Commenting on the findings, ACI World Director General Justin Erbacci said: "Global air travel is approaching a historic milestone, but record demand is also exposing growing pressures on capacity. The planning and investment decisions made today will determine whether aviation can meet the demands of the next generation of travellers."

Global passenger traffic: Asia-Pacific rewrites the rankings

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) was the biggest mover in the top 20, rising six places from 26th in 2024 to 20th in 2025. The airport handled 63.4 million passengers, up 11% year-on-year, supported by capacity expansion, robust domestic traffic growth of 17%, sustained international demand up 8.7%, and stronger connectivity with China and other strategic markets, positioning the airport ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026.

Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) posted the second largest jump, climbing five places from 10th to 5th. Its 10.7% passenger growth was driven by the rebound in international travel, supported by visa policy easing and expanded global connectivity, reflecting the broader reopening of China's aviation market.

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) recorded one of the most notable trajectories in the 2025 rankings. Having topped the global table in 2020, the airport fell to 57th place in 2022 before returning to 9th in 2025, a result that reflects the scale and pace of China's aviation recovery.

Atlanta holds — but the gap is narrowing

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) retained the No. 1 position with 106.3 million passengers in 2025, despite a year-on-year decline of 1.6%. Dubai International Airport (DXB, 95.2 million passengers, +3.1%) and Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND, 91.7 million passengers, +6.7%) held second and third place respectively, with both continuing to close the gap on Atlanta.

Five of the top 20 airports are located in the United States. Four are predominantly domestic hubs, with domestic traffic accounting for between 80 and 95% of total passengers. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the exception, with domestic passengers representing 68% of traffic, reflecting its stronger international connectivity. The US presence in the top 20 underscores the scale of North American aviation demand, even as internationally focused hubs in other regions continue to rise.

Aircraft movements: on the threshold of full operational recovery

Global aircraft movements exceeded 103.1 million in 2025, up 2.0% from 2024, bringing the sector to around its pre-2019 level.

The top 20 airports handled 11.3 million movements, representing 11% of global traffic, up 2.5% from 2024 and 2.8% above 2019 results.

Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) claimed the top spot with over 857,000 movements, up 10.5% from 2024, displacing Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (ATL, 808,000 movements, +1.4%), which had led the ranking since 2020.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) held 3rd place with 743,000 movements, unchanged from 2024.