The world’s busiest airport is still Atlanta as Asia reshapes the global rankings

Airports Council International (ACI) published recent statistics showing that Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the busiest airport in the world in 2025. 

ACI’s World Airport Traffic Dataset shows that global passenger traffic reached 9.8 billion travellers in 2025, an increase of 3.7% compared with 2024 and 6.5% above pre-pandemic 2019 levels.

The world’s 20 busiest airports handled a combined 1.59 billion passengers, accounting for around 16% of all global air travellers.

As passenger numbers near 10 billion, ACI reports that rapid growth in Asia-Pacific is reshaping global aviation. Several Asian hubs made significant gains as the recovery of international travel continued and governments invested heavily in airport infrastructure and connectivity.

Atlanta stays on top as Dubai and Tokyo close in

A total of 106.3 million passengers passed through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 2025, although traffic fell 1.6% compared to the previous year. 

As Delta’s largest hub and a hub serving an extensive domestic network, the airport has remained the world’s busiest for most of the last quarter-century.

However, the gap to its closest global rivals has narrowed.

• Dubai International Airport held second place with 95.2 million passengers, up 3.1% YoY. 
• Tokyo Haneda climbed to third after recording 91.7 million passengers, a 6.7% increase over 2024.
• Dallas/Fort Worth ranked fourth with 85.7 million passengers, narrowly ahead of Shanghai Pudong, which recorded the biggest leap among the top five (10.7%).

Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur lead Asia’s surge

The strongest momentum came from Asia-Pacific airports.

Shanghai Pudong climbed from 10th to fifth after passenger traffic rose 10.7%, reflecting China’s continued reopening to international travel, expanded airline networks and relaxed visa policies.

Guangzhou Baiyun returned to the global top 10, ranked ninth with 83.6 million passengers. It marks a significant turnaround after falling as low as 57th in 2022 due to pandemic-related disruptions.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport stood out, rising six places in the ranking to enter the global top 20 for the first time since before the pandemic. Passenger numbers increased 11% to 63.4 million, supported by domestic growth, expanding international services and stronger links with China ahead of Malaysia’s tourism campaign.

World’s 10 busiest airports in 2025

Capacity investment is becoming critical

ACI World said record demand is placing increasing pressure on airport infrastructure.

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

The data show aviation’s centre of gravity shifting, with Asia-Pacific airports accounting for many of the largest ranking changes, driven by renewed international travel, expanding middle-class demand and continued airport investment.

Cargo growth driven by e-commerce

Passenger travel was not the only sector to grow.

Global air cargo volumes exceeded 131 million metric tonnes in 2025, up 3.3% from the previous year and 7.4% above 2019 levels.

Hong Kong International Airport remained the world’s busiest cargo airport, handling just over 5 million metric tonnes. Shanghai Pudong remained second, while Anchorage climbed to third.

Louisville and Miami recorded the fastest cargo growth among the top five airports, each increasing by more than 13%, addressing demand from e-commerce and express freight operators.

One notable exception was Memphis International Airport, where cargo volumes fell 20.9% after the loss of the US Postal Service contract, causing it to drop from third to sixth place globally.

Chicago overtakes Atlanta for aircraft movements

Although Atlanta is still the world’s busiest airport by passenger volume, it lost a long-held lead in aircraft movements.

Chicago O’Hare took first place with over 857,000 takeoffs and landings during 2025, overtaking Atlanta with a 10.5% increase in movements. Atlanta recorded just over 807,000 aircraft movements, while Dallas/Fort Worth remained third.

Globally, aircraft movements surpassed 103 million in 2025, effectively returning to pre-pandemic operational levels.

The latest ACI figures suggest aviation’s recovery is now entering a new phase, with growth driven by expanding markets across Asia-Pacific, as established North American and European hubs continue to benefit from strong domestic and international demand.