The cachet of being known as the
world's busiest airport is fiercely fought over by the owners of the world's largest airports.
The following airports have variously made claims (or had claims made for them):
*
Chicago Midway International Airport, Chicago,
Illinois, United States
:Held from
1932 until O'Hare took the title in
1962, Midway was the world's busiest airport by passenger and aircraft movements. Before World War II, Chicago Midway was the origin or destination of one in four U.S. airline flights.
http://www.thetracon.com/Region%20leads%20the%20way%20in%20flight.htm *
Frankfurt International Airport, Frankfurt am Main,
Germany:Most international destinations served.
*
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
:Largest number of passengers annually (1998—)
:Most arrivals and departures annually (1999–2000, 2005—). World's Busiest Airport.
*
London Heathrow Airport, Hayes, Greater London, United Kingdom
:World's Busiest International Airport
http://www.heathrowairport.com/portal/site/default/menuitem.cd3561d9b59d462588a5e186c02865a0/;jsessionid=DNAfOXj7g3r3fk1j9NlWANpydf0hhlQvi8LcmzuRluuyU0u2FTlo!-949195938 .
:Largest number of international passengers annually (2004)
http://www.heathrowairport.com/assets/B2CPortal/Static%20Files/TopAirports04.pdf .
*
Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles,
California, United States
:Most passengers originating or making their destination at an airport (non-connecting).
*
Memphis International Airport, Memphis,
Tennessee, United States (home of
FedEx)
:Most cargo traffic by volume annually.
*
Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Chicago,
Illinois, United States
:Largest number of passengers annually (before 1998)
:Most arrivals and departures annually (before 1998, 2001–2004).
*
Tokyo International Airport,
Tokyo,
Japan (popularly known as Haneda Airport)
:The world's busiest domestic airport until service to
Seoul started. However, it is often overshadowed by Narita Airport, which serves international passengers flying into Tokyo.
*
Los Angeles Van Nuys Airport, Los Angeles,
California, United States
:World's busiest general aviation airport.
Trivia
* Possibly the world's least busy international airport in terms of passengers and aircraft movements (and that is still extant) is Nicosia International Airport on the Mediterranean island of
Cyprus, which has lain abandoned since
1974. An abandoned Trident airliner continues to decay on the tarmac.
See also
*World's busiest airports by passenger traffic
*World's busiest airports by international passenger traffic
*World's busiest airports by cargo traffic
*World's busiest airports by traffic movements
External links
*
Airports Council International website. A representative industry body for the airport industry that provides air travel statistics.
Category:Lists of airports
Category:Aviation statistics