Aviation data experts OAG have released their list of the busiest airports of 2025. Ranked by seat capacity, the annual report crunches the numbers from across the calendar year to determine which hubs are leading growth.
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) once again topped the global rankings, with more than 63 million seats available. However, growth has tapered in recent years, with capacity only up by 1% on 2024 and seat numbers roughly the same as pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
The same cannot be said for the second-busiest airport, Dubai International (DXB). While North American and Asian airports dominated the list due to high domestic traffic, DXB came first on the international seat capacity rankings. In 2025, customers could choose from 62.44 million seats flying out of the emirate, an increase of over 2 million from 2024 and nearly 10 million from 2019.
In Europe, Türkiye is emerging as a new aviation powerhouse. Istanbul Airport (IST) was the fifth-busiest airport overall, climbing 11 places after ranking 16th in 2019. Over six years the capital’s primary international airport has grown from 41.14 million seat capacity to 51.51 million in 2025. Meanwhile, Istanbul’s low-cost and regional airport Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) experienced 15% year-on-year (YoY) growth, according to OAG. Its seat capacity is now 37% higher than it was in 2019, reflecting the airport’s transformation into a hub for carriers including Pegasus Airlines and AJet.
World’s busiest airports 2025:
- Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL), 63.1 million seats
- Dubai International Airport (DXB), 62.4 million seats
- Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND), 55.4 million seats
- London Heathrow (LHR), 52.11 million seats
- Istanbul (IST), 51.51 million seats
- Dallas Forth Worth International (DFW), 51.24 million seats
- Shanghai Pudong International (PVG), 51.07 million seats
- Chicago O’Hare International (ORD), 50.58 million seats
- Baiyun International (CAN), 50.18 million seats
- Denver International (DEN), 49.49 million seats
World’s busiest international airports 2025
- Dubai International (DXB), 62.4 million seats
- London Heathrow (LHR), 48.97 million seats
- Seoul Incheon International (ICN), 43.0 million seats
- Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), 42.6 million seats
- Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), 41.33 million seats
- Istanbul Airport (IST), 41.2 million seats
- Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), 39.59 million seats
- Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), 38.7 million seats
- Frankfurt International (FRA), 36.4 million
- Doha Hamad (DOH), 32.69 million
Busiest European airports 2025 (international and domestic)
- London Heathrow (LHR), 52.11 million seats
- Istanbul (IST), 51.51 million seats
- Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), 43.22 million seats
- Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), 41.34 million seats
- Frankfurt International IFRA), 40.7 million seats
- Madrid Adolfo Suarez-Barajas (MAD), 38.57 million seats
- Barcelona (BCN), 33.29 million seats
- Rome Fiumicino (FCO), 31.01 million seats
- Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen (SAW), 28.6 million seats
- Munich International (MUN), 28.08 million seats
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