In January 2024, Dubai International (DXB) airport marked a strong start to the year by advancing one position and claiming the title of the world’s busiest airport. According to data released by aviation consultancy OAG, DXB, the base of the prominent international carrier Emirates, recorded 5 million seats during the month, surpassing Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL), which slipped to second place with 4.7 million seats. Atlanta’s capacity experienced an 8% decline compared to the previous month.
Interestingly, in January 2023, DXB held the position of the second busiest global airport, and in 2019, it ranked third. OAG’s statistics also revealed that DXB secured the title of the busiest international airport in 2023, registering 56.5 million seats. This Middle East aviation hub, which previously claimed the title in 2022 and 2019 with seating capacities of 53.98 million and 45.27 million, respectively, saw a remarkable 25% increase in seats in the current year compared to the previous year.
The rankings are determined based on scheduled capacity in the current month and are compared to the equivalent month in 2023. The top 10 busiest global airports consider both domestic and international capacity, while the top 10 busiest international airports focus solely on international seats.
In January, Tokyo International (Haneda), Guangzhou, London Heathrow, Dallas/Fort Worth, Shanghai Pudong, Denver International, Istanbul, and Beijing Capital International airports also secured positions in the list of the world’s 10 busiest airports, considering both domestic and international traffic. Dubai maintained its position as the busiest international airport, followed by London Heathrow, Seoul Incheon, Singapore Changi, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Hong Kong International, Doha, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International.