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There are more airports in the US than in the rest of the world combined. In light of such extraordinary statistics, it shouldn't come as a surprise that nine of the ten busiest airports (by aircraft movements) in the world are also from the United States. Istanbul Airport, which ranks as the tenth busiest with 425,890 aircraft movements, falls behind John F. Kennedy International Airport and Miami International Airport by approximately 22,000 and 32,000 aircraft movements respectively. In this article, we'll find out which are the five busiest airports in the world measured in terms of aircraft movements.5. (LAS) Harry Reid International Airport (581,116 aircraft movements)
Named after the late congressman of the US, Harry Field, the Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) has 581,116 aircraft movements, making it the fifth-busiest airport in the world. The airport was first opened for general aviation in 1943. The airport saw more than 50 million passengers in 2023 alone, with 5.5 million of them in October alone.
Location: Paradise, Nevada
Elevation: 2,181 ft / 665 m
Operator: Clark County Department of Aviation
Operating Base for Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JSX, Allegiant Air, Avelo Airlines
More than 30 airlines operate in this airport, which has flights to cities in Asia, Europe, and some parts of North America. The Harry Reid International Airport has four concrete runways, of which (8L/26R) has dimensions of 14,515 ft by 150 feet (4,424 m × 46 m), making it the third-longest civil runway in the country.
4. (DEN) Denver International Airport (607,786 aircraft movements)Denver International Airport (DEN), in addition to being the second largest airport in the world, is also the fourth busiest airport. The airport saw 607,000 aircraft movements and more than 77 million passengers. It also has some of the most ravishing collections of artworks and murals, alongside a bronze statue of John Swigert- an astronaut from Denver who made it to the moon in the Apollo 13 mission.
Location: Denver, Colorado
Elevation: 5,434 ft / 1,656 m
Operator: City andamp; County of Denver Department of Aviation
Operating Base for Southwest Airlines
One of the terminals of Denver International Airport was renamed after Elrey Borge Jeppesen- an aviation pioneer who made detailed notes about air routes, making air travels safer. The 16R/34L runway of the airport has a length of 16,000 feet (3.03 mi; 4.88 km)- the longest public use runway in North America.
3. (DFW) Dallas/ Fort Worth International Airport (656,676 aircraft movements)Airports Council International reported that Dallas/ Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) was the second busiest airport in the world in 2022, as this airport in Texas saw 73.2 million passengers in the year. The following year, the airport hit the mark of 80 million passengers. With more than 656,000 aircraft movements, it is also the third-busiest airport in the world.
Location: Cities of Coppell, Irving, Euless, and Grapesvine in Texas
Elevation: 607 ft / 185 m
Operator: DFW Airport Board
Operating Base for Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines
There are seven runways in the airport- four of which are more than 4,000 meters long. Air operations began in this airport in 1973. When it was first constructed, DFW was the largest airport in the US and was double the size of the next biggest airport. DFW held other distinctions too. It was the first in the nation to host the Concorde, and the first in the nation where 4 aircraft could land simultaneously.
2. (ORD) O'Hare International Airport (711,561 aircraft movements)The Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) has non-stop flights to 214 destinations, making it the most well-connected airport in the world. With 8 runways, the Chicago O"Hare International Airport also has the highest number of runways of any civil airport in the world. With 711,561 aircraft movements, it is the second-busiest airport in the world.
Location: O'Hare, Chicago, Illinois
Elevation: 668 ft / 204 m
Operator: Chicago Department of Aviation
Operating Base for Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines
1. (ATL) Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (724,145 aircraft movements)With more than 106 million passengers served in 2023, the Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) was the busiest in the world in terms of passengers served. It also saw 724,145 aircraft movements, making it the busiest airport in terms of aircraft movements.
Location: Fulton and Clayton counties, Georgia, US
Elevation: 1,026 ft / 313 m
Operator: Atlanta Department of Aviation
Operating Base for Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Southwest Airlines
There are 192 gates within the seven concourses and two gates terminals in the airport. The top destinations from the airport are Orlando and Fort Lauderdale in Florida- both of which received more than 1.2 million passengers from Hatsfield-Jackson in 2023. The airport had an on-time arrival performance of 82% in 2023, ranking it third amongst major US airports.