Dubai airport ranks as world’s busiest airport for international passengers again

Dubai International Airport (DXB) has once again topped the charts as the world’s busiest hub for international passengers.

In its latest report, the Airports Council International (ACI) said DXB welcomed over 92.33 million international passengers in 2024, a 6.1 percent increase from the preceding year.

London Heathrow (LHR) stood a distant second with 79.19 million passengers, a 5.7 percent gain from 2023 levels. Both DXB and LHR retained their rankings from the previous year. Incheon in South Korea (70.67 million), Singapore (67.06 million) and Amsterdam (66.82 million) wrapped up the top five.

In terms of total passengers (domestic and international), Atlanta continued to lead the charts with 108.07 million, followed by DXB. Dallas Fort Worth (87.81 million), Tokyo Haneda (85.9 million), and London Heathrow (83.88 million) ranked next.

The rankings are part of ACI’s annual report, spanning passenger traffic, air cargo volumes and aircraft movement.

“These rankings reflect the scale of global aviation and the resilience of the industry that continues to grow, despite the complex global environment,” said ACI World director general Justin Erbacci.

Global passenger traffic hit a new high in 2024, surpassing 9.4 billion travellers — up 8.4 percent from 2023 and 2.7 percent above pre-pandemic levels (2019).

The top 20 airports alone processed 1.54 billion passengers, capturing 16 percent of global traffic.

Of these, the United States contributed six airports to the top 20, mostly dominated by domestic traffic — except for JFK, where international passengers made up 56 percent.

Air cargo rebounded with close to 127 million metric tonnes handled in 2024 —up 9.9 percent year-over-year and 4.1 percent over 2019.

The top 20 cargo hubs moved 52.2 million tonnes, up 9 percent from 2023 and 10.8 percent above pre-pandemic levels.

Key drivers of growth included maritime route volatility, which led shippers to seek more reliable and faster alternatives via air.

E-commerce acceleration, driven by consumer demand for faster fulfillment across borders, and falling jet fuel costs, which lowered operating expenses and improved air freight competitiveness, also contributed to increased air cargo traffic.

Here, too, DXB stood out as the biggest mover, jumping from 17th to 11th in the rankings.

Aircraft movements topped 100.6 million globally in 2024 — an increase of 3.9 percent year-over-year, reaching 96.8 percent of 2019 levels.

The top 20 airports saw 11.08 million movements, up 5.4 percent year-over-year.