The air gate of any state is his calling card. Therefore, the governments of many countries do not spare money for the construction of truly colossal airports equipped with the latest technology. Such objects give jobs to thousands of people, located inside shops, hotels and other infrastructure objects bring considerable additional profit.
In our rating, we have collected the largest airports in the world in terms of passenger traffic. And also tell you about the largest airport in the world by area.
The largest airports in the world in terms of passenger traffic
10. Sheremetyevo (Russia, Moscow) - 45.8 million people / year
Among the largest airports in Russia in terms of passenger traffic, the Moscow Sheremetyevo named after A. Pushkin is the undisputed leader. In 2018, it was far ahead of Domodedovo, the second largest airport in Moscow in terms of passengers (45.8 million people versus 29.4 million people, respectively).
However, despite the impressive figure for Russia, Sheremetyevo is far behind its European and American counterparts. There, to enter the top ten, you need to have a passenger flow of 69 million people, like the French Charles de Gaulle airport.
9. Shanghai-Pudong International Airport (China, Shanghai) - 70 million people / year
This airport was opened in 1999 to ease the load on another Shanghai airport - Hongqiao. Since then, Shanghai Pudong has become one of the busiest airports in China. Hongqiao is still a major airport, but it serves mainly domestic flights, while Pudong has both domestic and international flights.
The airport management has grandiose plans to overtake Hong Kong in terms of passenger traffic in the next couple of years. To do this, it is planned to build another main terminal, as well as a satellite terminal with two additional runways, which will increase the annual passenger capacity of Shanghai-Pudong to 80 million people. Last year, it received 70 million people.
8. Hong Kong International Airport (Hong Kong) - 72.8 million people / year
This major airport, with the unofficial name of Cheklapkok, was built instead of Kai Tak Airport (formerly Hong Kong International Airport) and opened in July 1998. Kai Tak, built in 1925, had only one runway (it was notoriously dangerous, and a real test for any pilot who was supposed to land there).
The new Cheklapkok airport was designed taking into account the huge number of passengers, and includes two runways and a huge service area. Currently, it serves more than 1,100 flights a day, it employs more than 73,000 employees, and also operates more than 320 stores and 100 restaurants. Over the past year, 72.8 million passengers visited Hong Kong International Airport.
He also received an impressive set of awards, including "The Best Airport in the World" according to Skytrax in 2001-2005, 2007-2008 and 2011.
7. Heathrow (Great Britain, London) - 78 million people / year
The international air gate of the British capital annually receives 78 million passengers. Heathrow is Europe's busiest airport.
By the way, the airport is not very well located - the runways were in the lowlands, where the famous London fog often gathers. However, in the event of a flight delay, passengers can pass the time in one of the world's best duty free shops.
6. O’Hara International Airport (USA, Chicago) - 79.8 million people / year
O’Hara International Airport, located in northwestern Chicago, is the third largest airport in the United States. In 2018, 79.8 million passengers passed through it, making it the sixth busiest airport in the world.
In fact, O’Hara was the busiest airport in the world until 1998, when Hartsfield-Jackson ousted it from Atlanta.
O’Hara is a very important strategic partner for several of the largest US airlines. Here is the largest hub of United Airlines, both in terms of annual passengers and daily flights. Also, this airport is the second largest hub for American Airlines and plays a huge role in their business in the Midwest.
In 2017, O’Hare was recognized as the largest mega-hub in the United States (and the fourth largest in the world). This means that it has the maximum possible number of connections between incoming and outgoing flights during any six-hour window.
5. Los Angeles International Airport (USA, Los Angeles) - 84.5 million people / year
In fifth place, with a passenger flow of 84.5 million, is Los Angeles International Airport. It is the second largest airport in the United States and the only airport in the world that all three American carriers (American, Delta and United) have chosen as the hub.
In May 2017, it also became home to the first U.S. private terminal located in the back of the airport, away from the public and the paparazzi. Celebrities need to walk only 70 steps from the terminal to the plane, while ordinary passengers will need more than 2,000 steps.
4. Tokyo-Haneda International Airport (Japan, Tokyo) - 85.2 million people / year
Initially, this airport was intended for domestic flights, while the international hosted the second capital airport - Narita. However, in recent years, most of the Asian airlines have been transferred here.
Tokyo International Airport is one of the busiest in Asia. The annual passenger flow is about 85.2 million people.
3. Al Maktoum (UAE, Dubai) - 88 million people / year
The project worth $ 33 billion began its work in 2010. Currently, the airport is under development and after completion of all work, of course, will be the largest in the world.
The area of the airport, together with infrastructure facilities, is about 140 thousand square kilometers, which is slightly less than the area of the state of Liechtenstein. Al Maktoum is one of the few airports capable of hosting the world's largest passenger Airbus A380 airliners.
By 2019, the capacity of Al Maktoum Airport was over 88 million people a year.
2. Shoudou (China, Beijing) - 95 million people / year
The second largest passenger airport in the world began its work before the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Despite the relatively small footprint of 1.7 square kilometers, Beijing Capital Airport receives more than a thousand flights daily. Over 95 million people pass through it.
The airport is equipped with the latest technology. Passengers have access to high-speed wi-fi internet, and the sorting of luggage of millions of people occurs completely automatically on the underground floor of the airport. The highlight of the airport is a winter garden, built in the waiting room, and repeating the gardens of the imperial palace.
1. Hartsfield-Jackson (USA, Atlanta) - 104 million people / year
Among the largest airports in the world, none can compete with the Atlanta airport for passenger traffic. The busiest airport in the world receives over 100 million passengers annually. In 2018, this figure reached 103.9 million people.
All six airport lounges are connected by an automated passenger transportation system - these are comfortable electric trains that do not require the presence of a driver.
By the way, in the United States, airplanes are the most popular form of transportation for long trips. Local airlines set the cost of a flight comparable to the cost of ground transportation.
The largest airport in the world by area
King Fahd International Airport, which is located near the city of Dammam (Saudi Arabia), spreads over 77,600 hectares (776 sq. Km), which makes all other airports on this list look like a Lego car kit compared to a real car.
In the early 90's at this airport, airplanes took part in the conflict in the Persian Gulf. And in 1999, it was reoriented for commercial use.
The Saudi airport is larger than some of the smallest countries in the world, for example, states such as Bahrain and Grenada. But here's a fun fact: only 3,675 hectares of this area (that is, less than 5% of the available space) is used for airport premises.
If we indicated the actual size of the airport, it could not have claimed the title of "largest airport."
Due to its inconvenient location, King Fahd International Airport is underloaded in terms of passenger traffic (about 5 million passengers per year). Thus, we can say that the largest airport in the world is the most unproductive. But he is proud to be serving the royal family of Saudi Arabia, for which the Royal terminal was specially built.
