Airports are the connecting hubs of the world, each with its own unique designs and features that help them stick out from others. The largest airports can be found in major tourist countries or business hubs due to an increased need for space from such a high volume of passengers coming and going. This article details the top 20 largest airports in the world and where they are located.

The largest airports in the world by size are linked to an increased influx of passengers but do not necessarily mean they are the busiest airports in the world. The biggest airports by size usually depend on a variety of factors, including the volume of passengers and the budget available.

Certain countries may also upgrade their travel hubs to accommodate more aeroplanes and airlines in an attempt to increase traffic from business and leisure tourists. Knowing this, what is the largest size airport in the world? And, which ones make the top 20?

What is the busiest international airport in the world?

Before we detail the biggest airports in the world, it is worth mentioning that the busiest airport in the world is Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta, with under 76 million passengers in 2021 alone.

Although Atlanta is only the 38th largest city in the US, its metropolitan areas are home to over six million people, which no doubt plays a significant role in the massive passenger traffic it sees yearly.

Which is the least busy airport in the world?

If you are curious to know which airport is used the least, that title goes to Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI). With only a few flights daily stopping it from being totally defunct, this travel hub is mainly used to see local wildlife and admire the building itself.

20 largest airports in the world by size

Here are the top 20 biggest airports in the world by size, along with how much traffic it sees yearly:

20. Frankfurt Airport

Size: 20 km²

Frankfurt's travel hub for aeroplanes comes in at a surprisingly large size for its small city since it is often referred to as 'the smallest metropolis in the world'. The aerodrome opened on 8 July 1936, and averages 60 million passengers annually, with nearly 70 million in 2018.

19. Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Size: 22.49 km²

The Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina was opened for travel in 1936 initially under the name Charlotte Municipal Airport but was later changed to Douglas Municipal Airport to honour the former Mayor Ben Elbert Douglas, Sr. It sees an average of 118,000 people going in and out of the hub annually.

18. Delhi Indira Gandhi Airport

Size: 27.07 km²

Located in the heart of Delhi, India, the city's aerodrome was built on 2 May 1986 and become a major hub for the metropolitan area and its surroundings. It saw 37.14 million passengers in 2021 alone and considering what a tourist hub the area is, seems like there are no signs of slowing down.

17. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Size: 27.87 km²

The city's travel hub, most commonly known as simply Schiphol, is a sizeable building; presumably designed that way to accommodate the high volumes of tourists Amsterdam sees yearly. It opened to the public on 16 September 1916 and had an impressive 52.5 million visitors in 2022.

16. Dubai International

Size: 29.13 km²

Dubai International is not a surprising feature on the list, considering it is located within the most popular city in the UAE. Since it opened on 30 September 1960, it saw an increased volume of traffic that is now sitting at 12.82 million from the period of January to November 2022.

15. Madrid–Barajas Airport

Size: 30.35 km²

The Madrid–Barajas Airport saw a whopping 61.8 million passengers in 2019, which is hardly shocking considering Madrid sees a high volume of tourists. After opening on 22 April 1931, it saw an influx of people coming and going throughout the years.

14. O'Hare International Airport

Size: 30.86 km²

Mainly known just as O'Hare International, the Chicago, USA airport opened in 1955 and became a major hub within both Chicago and America itself. It sees a massive average of 3 million passengers each month.

13. Salt Lake City International Airport

Size: 31.16km²

Salt Lake City International in Salt Lake City, Utah was opened in 1911 and became a hotspot for both leisure and business tourists thanks to the convenient location and easy access to other travel hubs. It saw 22,378,989 passengers in 2021.

12. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport

Size: 32.38 km²

Located in the Île-de-France (Paris) area, Charles de Gaulle is considered a main port of entry into Paris and France for further connecting travels. Construction began on what was first known then as Aéroport de Paris Nord (Paris North Airport). It opened on 8 March 1974 under Charles de Gaulle and recorded 76,150,007 passengers in 2019 alone.

11. Suvarnabhumi Airport

Size: 32.40 km²

Suvarnabhumi Airport is located in the Bang Phli district of Thailand, which is an established tourist spot and has a significant amount of residents as well. Opening on 28 September 2006, this is a more recently developed hub on the spot. It sees an average of over 65 million passengers yearly.

10. Cairo International Airport

Size: 37 km²

Situated in the capital city of Egypt lays Cairo International, which has become the biggest travelling hub in the country. Construction began in 1957 and opened on 18 March 1963. In the same year, it replaced the old Heliopolis Airport. Cairo International saw 13 million passengers in 2019.

9. Shanghai Pudong International Airport

Size: 40 km²

Shanghai Pudong International opened on 16 September 1999 and is Shanghai's major travelling hub, both for business and leisure tourism. Due to being a hotspot for visiting and working, it saw 74,006,331 passengers in 2018 alone.

8. George Bush Intercontinental Airport

Size: 40 km²

George Bush Intercontinental is situated in Houston, Texas; which is one of two Texan airports on this list. It opened on 8 June 1969 and saw 43,807,539 passengers overall in 2018, showing that it is still a hotspot for travel despite various other hubs in the state.

7. Beijing Daxing International Airport

Size: 47 km²

Located on the border of Beijing and Langfang, Hebei Province lays Beijing Daxing International, one of two international airports belonging to Beijing. Opening to the public on 26 September 2019, it is one of the most recent hubs on the list and had well over 20 million passengers in 2021.

6. Orlando International Airport

Size: 51 km²

Orlando International is one of the older aeroports on this list, being opened in 1940 in Orlando, Florida. Since then, it has seen countless tourists and handled 19,618,838 passengers in 2021, with high hopes for higher volumes of visitors in future.

5. Washington Dulles International Airport

Size: 52.6 km²

Opening in 1962 to accommodate the massive influx of passengers within the area of Dulles, Virginia, Washington Dulles International Airport was considered one of the most modern airports at the time. In 2019, it saw 24.06 million passengers.

4. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

Size: 70 km²

Dallas/Fort Worth International became operational on 13 January 1974 and saw countless passengers throughout its decades. Its last recorded amount of passengers was 62,465,756 and considering that it is located in the heart of Texas, it is not hard to understand why.

3. Istanbul Airport

Size: 76 km²

Located in Turkey, the Istanbul Airport is both massive as it is popular. A fairly new venue, it was opened to the public on 29 October 2018 and has been hugely successful ever since. Considering Istanbul is a business hub and tourist hotspot, it saw a whopping 64.5 million passengers in 2022.

2. Denver International Airport

Size: 135.7 km²

Located in the heart of Denver, Colorado, Denver International has been in operation since 28 February 1995 and has become a massive travel hub since. It saw 28,625,137 passengers in 2021, a massive milestone.

1. King Fahd International Airport

Size: 776 km²

The largest airport in the world, King Fahd International, is larger than the neighbouring country of Bahrain, which makes it easy to see why it would be at the number one spot. Opening in November 1999, the Saudi Arabian hub sees more than 10 million passengers use it annually.

The largest airports in the world have either a buzzing metropolitan area, intriguing tourist hotspots or a high volume of residents. Many of these have all three and are perfectly designed to accommodate the influx of passengers looking to enjoy the city it is located in and its surroundings.

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