10 Largest Airports in the World 2020

The largest airports in the world hide many stories. Millions of passengers land and take off-hour by the hour from each of these cities. Some want to get to these places, others simply stop there and then continue to their final destination.

Logistically they are very complete operation centers. At the same time, several aircraft take off and land. There is no room for doubt or mistakes.

 France: Charles de Gaulle (Paris)

Although it is the tenth in our count, it does not mean that it is a small airport. Since 1974, French and foreigners have taken off and landed at Terminal 1 at Charles de Gaulle Airport. From that moment until today, the terminal has been enlarged several times. From this airport, you can fly to 315 different destinations. 

In 2012 alone, almost 62 million passengers passed through this airbase, making it one of the main hubs in Europe and worldwide.  It is named after the former president of France, Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970).

China: Pudong Airport (Shanghai)

Pudong Airport is one of the most important air bases in Asia. More than 60 million passengers circulate there a year and it is one of the few in China that provides service 24 hours a day. As in many other things, the Chinese government wants to compete in terms of size with the United States, so they hope to have the world’s largest airport ready by 2018, southwest of Beijing, in the Daxing district. 

They expect to receive 200 million passengers a year. Currently, efforts have been put into the construction of a third terminal at Pudong Airport. This terminal is already operational but the ambition of the Chinese government is much greater.

China: Hong Kong Airport (Hong Kong)

Hong Kong International Airport, also known as Chek Lap Kok Airport, is responsible for assisting the entire Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the People’s Republic of China. It currently serves around 70 million passengers a year. 

It was inaugurated in June 1998 and is considered one of the most expensive engineering projects in history along the Great Artificial River in Libya. Both projects were carried out by Foster and Partners. This huge and exclusive airport was built to replace the Kai Tak International Airport, which closed in 1998, as it was located in the middle of the city. 

However, space was used to erect an Olympic village that would function for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

United Kingdom: Heathrow Airport (London)

London Airport is one of the most important air bases in Europe. It is located in the district of Hillingdon, in the west area of ​​London. In 2014 it broke a record by being the international airport with the highest passenger traffic in the world. 

In fact, it had 31.5% more traffic than the Paris airport. However, regarding the movement of aircraft, it was in 2nd place, behind precisely the Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris. And with respect to cargo traffic, it was ranked third on the list that same year.

Its most recent expansion was Terminal 5, built between 2012 and 2014. This terminal is considered one of the most modern in the world. 

Its main feature to highlight is the construction of a cold production building for air conditioning. This building is the one with the largest refrigeration capacity in all of Europe.

United States: Chicago O’Hare Airport (Chicago)

Chicago O’Hare was opened in 1943. Today it is one of the largest in the United States, and is the largest distribution center for United Airlines. For 10 years this North American airbase was voted “The Best Airport in North America”, according to the readers of Business Traveler magazine (1998 – 2003) and Global Traveler magazine (2004 – 2007).

The airport has a strong presence of international destinations, with flights to more than 60 destinations abroad. It currently receives around 77 million passengers a year.

Japan: Haneda Airport (Tokyo)

Located 20 kilometers south of Tokyo Station, Haneda International Airport is one of two air terminals operating in Tokyo.

In 2005, it was ranked number 4 on this list, receiving more than 62 million passengers, both in transit and passengers who remained in Japan. The airport was opened in 1931 and currently receives around 79 million passengers a year.

United States: Los Angeles Airport (Los Angeles)

This airport is the main one in the city of Los Angeles. It is popularly known as LAX, pronounced separately. It is located to the southwest, in the town of Westchester, 27 kilometers from the city center. 

This airport became the third busiest in the world, until the September 11 attacks in the United States.

A curious fact about this airport is that it is the air terminal with the most nonstop flights in the world. It serves 87 internal destinations in the United States and 69 international destinations. It currently carries more than 80 million passengers a year, and more than 2 million tons of land and takes off from its runways.

United Arab Emirates: Dubai International Airport (Dubai)

Located 4 km southeast of Dubai, this international terminal is the main base for Emirates Airlines and Emirates SkyCargo, currently the largest in the Middle East and having the best Dubai airport lounges. 

In 2011, the airport had a record of more than 50 million passengers, positioning it as number 13 in the world with respect to user traffic. Since 2010 they operate in more than 130 airlines that travel to more than 215 destinations on all continents except Antarctica.

Emirates opened an exclusive terminal for the airline in October 2008. Terminal 3 had a cost of US $ 4.5 billion. This terminal is the second-largest building in the world by surface area. Thanks to this inauguration, the number of passengers transferred by the airbase increased on a large scale. Currently, more than 83 million passengers travel at this airport.

China: Pékin Capital Airport (Beijing)

This airport is the second on our list and is the main one in the city of Beijing, the capital of the People’s Republic of China.

In 2008 they completed an expansion in its structure on the eve of the Olympics that same year in that country. 

This traffic of tourists due to the sporting event made it the busiest airport of that year. Currently, it is always located at the top of the busiest airports due to its large size and because it belongs to the country with the largest population in the world.

United States: Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (Atlanta)

The number one of our county is located 11 kilometers south of the Financial District of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. This airport is the number one landing and take-off in the world.

In 2008, it ranked first on the list after serving more than 90 million passengers who flew 978,824 flights. This airport serves as a distribution center for flights to all parts of the United States and outside the countr