Dubai Airport officially overtakes Atlanta in the US as world’s busiest hub

Dubai: Dubai International Airport (DXB) has officially overtaken Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to become the world’s busiest airport by seat capacity in January 2026.

The ranking is based on total scheduled airline seat capacity, including both international and domestic services. OAG’s data shows Dubai handling 5.5 million seats in January 2026, placing it ahead of Atlanta, which recorded around 4.9 million seats for the same period.

Tokyo Haneda ranked third globally.

The shift marks a change at the top of the global aviation table, with Atlanta having held the leading position for many years, largely due to its extensive domestic network in the US.

The OAG ranking comes as Dubai International continues to record exceptionally high passenger traffic. The airport closed 2025 at record levels and carried that momentum into the new year.

According to Dubai Airports, the airport handled approximately 8.8 million passengers in December 2025, up from 8.3 million in December 2024, making it the busiest month ever recorded at DXB.

In early January, passenger volumes surged further. On January 3, the airport processed 324,000 passengers, the highest single-day total in its history. This was followed by 322,000 passengers on January 4, another near-record day.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, the operator of DXB and Dubai World Central (DWC) said demand during the current peak season has been “exceptional”, with daily passenger numbers remaining above 300,000.

He said the airport is forecast to welcome around 3.4 million passengers between January 1 and January 11, indicating that high volumes are continuing into the first weeks of 2026.

Griffiths said the airport’s ability to manage sustained traffic at this level reflects the planning and preparation across the wider aviation system, including airlines, service providers and government entities working under the oneDXB partnership framework.

In 2025, Dubai International was already among the world’s busiest airports, supported by strong tourism demand, a high volume of transit traffic and the continued expansion of airline networks.

Gulf News previously reported that DXB recorded its highest annual passenger traffic in 2025, driven by a strong winter season, major events and continued growth in long-haul routes.

The airport’s performance in December and early January suggests that this growth has continued into 2026.

OAG’s busiest airports ranking is based on scheduled seat capacity, not passenger throughput. This means it reflects how many seats airlines have put on sale for travel, rather than how many people actually flew.

The data is seen as a forward-looking indicator of demand and airline confidence in a market. An increase in seat capacity usually signals expectations of strong passenger volumes.

In previous years, OAG data has regularly shown Dubai and Atlanta competing closely at the top of the global rankings.