Airports are busy places. If you travel, you know that.
But which are the busiest?
It depends a bit on how you’re counting.
According to Airports Council International (ACI) World, which does an annual tally, in 2025 the world’s busiest airport for passenger traffic is, once again, Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) with 106.3 million passengers.
Coming in at 2nd place once again is Dubai International Airport (DXB) with 95.2 million passengers and Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) rises to 3rd place with 91.7 million passengers.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) ranks first for aircraft movements.
4 airports in the top 10 are U.S. airports (Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver and Chicago) and together, the top 10 busiest airports for passenger traffic represent 9% of global passenger traffic.
Fresh art at one of the world’s busiest airport
Istanbul Airport (IST), number 8 on the list of World’s Busiest Airports for 2025, recently welcomed a huge new sculpture.
The kinetic sculpture is by Hayri Karay, the winner of the airport’s open call, biennial competition.
The two-part moving sculpture is made of steel and now sits at the center of the airport. According to Karay, it emphasises the cultural layers of Anatolia, the large West Asian peninsula that forms most of modern-day Turkey.
