Dubai International Airport welcomed nearly 95.2m international passengers in 2025.

Dubai Airport (DXB) has retained its position atop Airports Council International (ACI) World’s busiest airports ranking for international passengers (pax).

DXB welcomed nearly 95.2 million international passengers in 2025 – a 3.1% change on 2024 and a 10.3% rise compared to 2019.

London’s Heathrow Airport (LJR) held onto second place, with nearly 79.9m intl. pax – a 0.9% boost on the previous year and 5% up on the 2019 level.

Incheon International Airport (ICN) also retained the number three spot, welcoming nearly 73.6 intl. pax – an uplift of 4.1% year-over-year (yoy) and 4.2% vs. before the pandemic (in 2019).

Hong Kong Airport (HKG) experienced the biggest change yoy, with 60.8m intl. pax in 2025, up 14.9% on the previous year.

Istanbul Airport (IST) exceeded its pre-pandemic levels by 68.3% whereas Hamad International Airport (DOH) was up 40.1% vs. 2019.

The ACI World data shows that international passenger traffic reached 4 billion in 2025, representing a gain of 5.9% vs. 2024 and 8.3% vs. 2019.

ACI World’s busiest airports ranking for 2025. The top 10 busiest airports for international passenger traffic represent 17% of total international traffic.

Looking at total passenger traffic, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport remains the world’s busiest airport (with 106.3m pax), followed by Dubai International Airport (with 95.2m pax) and Tokyo Haneda Airport (with 91.7m pax).

At the same time, Chicago O’Hare International Airport ranks first for aircraft movements.

“We congratulate the world’s busiest airports for managing growing air travel demand amid increasing operational complexity,” said ACI World Director General Justin Erbacci.

“These hubs keep people and goods moving, supporting global trade, tourism, and economic growth in their communities and regions. To help keep pace with rising demand, governments must prioritise sustained investment in airports and the broader aviation ecosystem.”

ACI World’s busiest airports ranking for 2025.

More key takeaways include that global total passengers are estimated to have reached 9.8 billion in 2025, representing an increase of 3.6% from 2024 or a gain of 7.3% from 2019 results.

The growth in 2025 was driven by international demand and Asia-Pacific recovery, while North American and European hubs neared saturation.

Indeed, Asia-Pacific airports are rebounding strongly, prompting shits in the global rankings. For example, Shanghai Pudong recorded the biggest jump in the top 10 (for total passengers), rising from 10th to fifth place.

This growth was supported by international traffic recovery, visa policy easing and expanded connectivity, says ACI World.

Additionally, Guangzhou Baiyun rebounded to ninth position, up from 57th in 2022.

Further to the above, four airports in the top 10 (for total passengers) are in the US, reflecting continued market strength – each have significant domestic passenger shares (80–95% domestic traffic).

Putting last year’s global aviation sector into context, ACI World highlighted how global GDP grew ~3.0–3.2%, which was above expectations but below historical norms, with ‘ongoing risks from trade tensions, protectionism, and policy uncertainty affecting air travel demand’.

In addition, jet fuel prices fell (~-13% YoY) and inflation eased, boosting purchasing power and sustaining strong passenger demand despite volatility.

Geopolitical reshaping traffic flows was another key factor, with airspace closures and conflicts increased flight times and costs, prompting rerouting and shifting traffic toward alternative hubs.

The TRBusiness Top 10 Airports report, based upon ACI World’s busiest airports for international passengers ranking, is set to be released in June 2026.

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