Dubai International has soared to claim the coveted title of the world’s busiest airport, marking a significant milestone for the Middle East’s aviation hub. Embarking on 2024 with an impressive ascent, Dubai International (DXB) climbed one position to secure the top spot in global airport rankings for January.
As per data released by aviation consultancy OAG, Dubai International, serving as the primary hub for the renowned international carrier Emirates, witnessed a remarkable surge with 5 million seats in January 2024. This surge propelled it ahead of Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL), which slipped to second place with 4.7 million seats. ATL experienced an 8 per cent decline in capacity compared to the previous month. Notably, just a year ago in January 2023, DXB held the runner-up position globally, and back in 2019, it secured the third spot.
Furthermore, OAG’s findings unveiled DXB’s dominance as the busiest international airport in 2023, boasting a remarkable 56.5 million seats. This achievement marked a notable 25 per cent increase in capacity compared to the preceding year. It’s worth noting that DXB had already clinched the top position as the busiest international airport in 2022 and 2019, with seating capacities of 53.98 million and 45.27 million, respectively. OAG’s rankings are established based on scheduled capacity for the current month compared to the equivalent period in the previous year. The top 10 busiest global airports encompass both domestic and international capacities, while the top 10 busiest international airports solely consider international seating.
In January, alongside Dubai International, Tokyo International (Haneda), Guangzhou, London Heathrow, Dallas/Fort Worth, Shanghai Pudong, Denver International, Istanbul, and Beijing Capital International airports featured prominently among the top 10 busiest global airports. Dubai’s stature as the busiest international airport remained unchallenged, with London Heathrow, Seoul Incheon, Singapore Changi, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Hong Kong International, Doha, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International following closely in the rankings.
