Busiest Airports in the World | OAG

Which is the Busiest AIrport in the World?

In February 2026, Dubai International Airport (DXB) continues to lead as the World’s Busiest Airport, with 4.90 million seats, representing a 2% increase compared with February 2025.
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) remains in second place with 4.60 million seats, up 1% year-on-year.
Shanghai Pudong (PVG) moves into third position on the list of the world's busiest airports, following strong growth of 7%, reaching 4.28 million seats this month.
Tokyo Haneda (HND) slips to fourth place, with capacity declining by 1% year-on-year to 4.18 million seats.
Several airports recorded notable capacity expansion in February. Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) posted one of the strongest performances in the top ten, growing by 15% to 4.17 million seats and ranking fifth. Delhi (DEL) also saw solid growth of 7%, totalling 3.87 million seats and placing sixth.
London Heathrow (LHR) remains broadly flat year-on-year at 3.86 million seats, holding seventh position.
Chicago O’Hare (ORD) enters the top ten in eighth place after a significant 15% increase in capacity to 3.71 million seats.
Istanbul Airport (IST) recorded moderate growth of 2% to reach 3.68 million seats, while Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) completes the top ten with stable capacity of 3.68 million seats, unchanged compared with February 2025.

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which is the busiest international airport in the world?

Dubai International Airport (DXB) remains the World’s Busiest International Airport in February 2026, handling 4.90 million seats, a 2% increase in capacity compared with February 2025.
London Heathrow (LHR) retains second place with 3.61 million seats, with capacity not much changed year-on-year.
Seoul Incheon (ICN) ranks third with 3.55 million seats, recording solid growth of 5% compared with last year, while Singapore Changi (SIN) moves into fourth place after increasing capacity by 4% to 3.44 million seats.
Several international hubs post strong capacity growth this month. Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) records one of the strongest performances in the top ten, growing by 12% year-on-year to 3.28 million seats and ranking fifth.
Istanbul Airport (IST) continues to expand, with capacity up 2% to 2.98 million seats, placing sixth.
Doha (DOH) also performs well, increasing capacity by 6% to 2.56 million seats and ranking tenth.
Elsewhere, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) grows by 5% to 2.74 million seats and is in ninth place, while Amsterdam (AMS) sees a modest 2% decline to 2.87 million seats.
Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) remains broadly stable year-on-year at 2.79 million seats in eighth place.

Which is Europe's Busiest Airport?

London Heathrow (LHR) moves back up to be Europe’s Busiest Airport in February 2026, handling 3.86 million seats.
Istanbul Airport (IST) moves down to second place with 3.68 million seats, recording growth of 2% year-on-year.
Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) holds third place with 3.06 million seats, up 1% compared with last year, while Madrid Adolfo Suárez–Barajas (MAD) moves into fourth place after increasing capacity by 4% to 2.94 million seats.
Capacity growth across Europe is mixed this month. Amsterdam (AMS) records a modest decline of 2% to 2.87 million seats and is in to fifth place, while Frankfurt (FRA) remains broadly stable year-on-year at 2.63 million seats in sixth.
Barcelona (BCN) also sees flat capacity at 2.24 million seats, ranking seventh.
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) posts the strongest growth in the European top ten, expanding by 10% to 2.20 million seats and rising to eighth place.
Elsewhere, Rome Fiumicino (FCO) experiences a 4% decline to 1.94 million seats, while Munich (MUC) rounds out the top ten with capacity down 2% year-on-year at 1.77 million seats.

What makes these airports the busiest?

The top airports for capacity combine prime location, hub airlines, large-scale infrastructure, and strong economic or tourism pull

Why use capacity as a metric?

Capacity data and passenger numbers will tend to follow the same trend, but by using capacity data to determine the busiest airport we can look ahead to the upcoming month.

Are these the busiest airports by flights?

We define our busiest airports by capacity, which provides a forward-looking view of passenger-carrying potential. Measuring by flights instead reflects aircraft movements (takeoffs and landings) and highlights overall air traffic. Airports with heavy short-haul domestic schedules often rank high by flights, but this does not necessarily translate into greater passenger capacity.

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