For a lifelong aviation geek like me, keeping tabs on which airport is the world’s busiest is akin to a sports junkie memorizing batting averages or some other random sports analogy that I’m loathe to make because I know almost nothing about professional sports. Not only do I know the top airports in the world based on overall passenger volume, I also know the top airports by continent, which is a bit more fun and geographically balanced. Just for fun, and thanks to the handy-dandy Great Circle Mapper, I was able to sit in ecstasy for a few hours and plot all the nonstop routes from the busiest airport on each inhabited continent: Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, Beijing Capital, London Heathrow, Sydney’s Kingsford Smith, Johannesburg’s OR Tambo, and São Paulo/Guarulhos. Let’s fly!
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, USA
Airport Code: ATL ● Airlines: 22 ● Destinations: 230 ● Passengers: 103.9 million
Named for two former mayors of Atlanta, Hartsfield-Jackson is the world’s busiest airport by sheer passenger volume. Why? Simple geography. Located strategically in the southeast of the world’s largest aviation market, the USA, millions of people can connect through Atlanta without flying too far out of their way. Miami to New York, Charlotte to Los Angeles, Chicago to Managua, Houston to Lagos: they say when you die, whether you’re going to Heaven or Hell, you’ll have to change planes in Atlanta. Secret Direct Route: Delta flies to Sydney with a stop in Los Angeles.
Beijing Capital International Airport, China
Airport Code: PEK ● Airlines: 79 ● Destinations: 279 ● Passengers: 95.8 million
The capital of the world’s most populous country has the world’s second-busiest airport, steadily gaining on Atlanta’s declining passenger numbers. As a hub for Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, and Hainan Airlines, and reflecting China’s status as a global economic power, passenger traffic has been explosive, and every airline worth their metal wants to get in on the action. Secret Direct Route: Air China flies to São Paulo with a stop in Madrid.
London Heathrow Airport, UK
Airport Code: LHR ● Airlines: 85 ● Destinations: 204 ● Passengers: 78 million
London’s best-known airport—and Europe’s busiest—enplanes the second-largest number of international passengers in the world. That’s not hard considering the number of countries within a few hours’ flight of London, and the city’s stature as a planetary finance capital. Heathrow’s two runways operate at capacity and take-off/landing slots are restricted and super-expensive, but none of the neighbors want a third runway. Secret Direct Route: Air New Zealand flies to Auckland with a stop in Los Angeles.
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, Australia
Airport Code: SYD ● Airlines: 47 ● Destinations: 100 ● Passengers: 41.9 million
Situated a mere 5 miles from the CBD and smack on Botany Bay, Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport has been operating for almost a century; its first flight took off way back in 1919, at the very dawn of aviation. Anchoring the South Pacific air market, Sydney serves as the main hub for Qantas, JetStar, and Virgin Australia, the region’s largest airlines. The surprising number of Chinese destinations and China-based airlines reflects the country’s large Chinese diaspora. Secret Direct Route: LATAM Airlines flies to Santiago with a stop in Auckland.
Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport, South Africa
Airport Code: JNB ● Airlines: 42 ● Destinations: 100 ● Passengers: 20.7 million
Named for anti-Apartheid freedom fighter and former ANC president Oliver Reginald Tambo, Johannesburg’s main airport serves at the regional air hub for all of southern Africa. As the home base for South African Airways and serving both the country’s main business capital and its executive capital, Pretoria, OR Tambo connects to more African cities than any other airport on the continent. In fact, the airport has nonstop flights to all six inhabited continents. Secret Direct Route: South African Airways flies to Washington, DC, with alternating stops in Accra and Dakar.
São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, Brazil
Airport Code: GRU ● Airlines: 31 ● Destinations: 91 ● Passengers: 37.8 million
South America’s busiest airport sits only 16 miles from central São Paulo, though it can sometimes take up to two hours in traffic to reach the place. Opened in 1985 in the suburb of Guarulhos, the airport was built in the unattractive Brutalist style popular with public buildings at the time. But despite Brazil’s recent political and economic turmoil, passenger numbers and nonstop destinations steadily increasing. Secret Nonstops: Both Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines fly between São Paulo and Buenos Aires.
Have you flown through any of these airports?
Image source: Andrew E. Cohen via Flickr