Dubai airport tops 2024 rankings with 60.2 m seats
Dubai : Dubai International Airport (DXB) has once again earned the title of the World’s Busiest International Airport with a total of 60.2 million seats in 2024.
This follows its similar achievements in 2023 and 2019, underscoring the UAE’s strategic position in global aviation. DXB’s capacity saw a significant 7pc year-on-year growth compared to 2023, as well as a 12pc increase over pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
According to global aviation consultancy’s (OAG) report, it calculates the busiest airports based on international airline capacity, placed DXB in the lead, with Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) coming in second overall when including both domestic and international flights.
The rankings highlight DXB’s role in shaping the global aviation sector, aided by the UAE’s efficient infrastructure and positioning as a key air traffic hub.
Interestingly, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) recently reported that UAE skies saw over 1 million movements last year with Emirates Flight 305 from Shanghai marked the one the millionth air movement on December 22, 2024.
Ranked 10th, Qatar’s Doha airport was the only other airport from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region to be among the top 10 with 32.455 million seats, an increase of 13 per cent. Doha airport slipped from 9th position in 2023 to 10th in 2024.
According to OAG, the second-ranked London Heathrow Airport lags by 11.877 million seats compared to Dubai, recording 48.358 million seats last year. It recorded a 4 per cent growth in the number of seats in 2024 versus 2023.
Seoul Incheon International was the third busiest international airport with 41.633 million seats.
Among other airports, Singapore Changi ranked 4th, followed by Amsterdam, Istanbul, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt International and Hong Kong International.
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was the busiest global airport in 2024 with 62.7 million seats. This includes both domestic and international flights.
Dubai International came second followed by Tokyo International, London Heathrow, Dallas/Fort Worth International, Denver International, Guangzhou Baiyun, Istanbul, Shanghai Pudong International and Chicago O’Hare International.
-B
