Khaberni - Dubai International Airport topped the list of the world’s busiest airports in terms of international passenger traffic with 95.2 million passengers in 2025, cementing its position as a pivotal hub in the global aviation system, according to the ranking issued Tuesday by the International Airport Council, which showed the continued strength of major airports in supporting global air connectivity and the flows of travel and trade.
Dubai International Airport continued its strong performance, ranking second globally in terms of total passenger numbers, while Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport maintained the top spot with 106.3 million passengers, followed by Tokyo Haneda Airport in third place.
The total number of passengers globally reached about 9.8 billion in 2025, an increase of 3.6 percent compared to 2024 and 7.3 percent compared to 2019, while the top ten airports accounted for about 9 percent of the total global traffic.
The number of international passengers was about 4 billion in 2025, an increase of 5.9 percent compared to 2024 and 8.3 percent compared to 2019, according to the official Emirates News Agency.
The strong recovery in international travel, especially in Asia and the Pacific, contributed to driving the growth of airport traffic globally, at a time when some major airports face constraints related to capacity and supply chains.
In the air cargo sector, volumes increased by 2.9 percent to reach 128.9 million metric tons, driven by the growth of e-commerce and the reshaping of global supply chains.
Hong Kong International Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport maintained the first and second positions in air cargo, respectively.
The number of aircraft movements globally was about 101.5 million movements in 2025, an increase of 2.3 percent compared to 2024, with Chicago O'Hare Airport topping the list, followed by Atlanta Airport and then Dallas Fort Worth Airport.
