Two Airports In America Were Among The Top Five Busiest In The World For 2024

If you have ever looked at the line for TSA and thought, "This must be the busiest airport in the world," there's a chance you were right. Every year, the aviation analytics firm Official Airline Guide (OAG) determines which airports are the busiest. In 2024, the busiest airport in the entire world was located in the United States: Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International (ATL). Another U.S. airport was also in the Top 5: Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW).

Airports in the U.S. actually made up an impressive 40% of the Top 10 busiest airports, with Denver International (DEN) coming in sixth and Chicago O'Hare International (ORD) in 10th place. You don't necessarily have to worry about fighting for a seat at your gate at the busiest airports, though. While the term "busiest" might make you picture crowds, OAG's data is based on the maximum capacity of the fights scheduled to come in and out of the airport for the year, not density of people. 

Still, with so many flights coming in and out of ATL and DFW, you will definitely want to make sure that you have plenty of time to make sure that you're heading to the right gate.

It might seem surprising that Atlanta, which is not even in the Top 5 biggest cities in the United States, would be home to the world's busiest airport. However, the OAG ranking doesn't just consider flights that are coming or going from Atlanta itself — it also includes all those connecting flights. If there's a layover in Atlanta, that makes the airport busier, too, and Atlanta's central location means that many flights stop off there. OAG's Chief Analyst, John Grant, told USA Today: "Atlanta's continued global leadership reflects the airport's strength as a major connecting hub for both domestic and international capacity, supported by a strong set of base airlines."

The airport's size, and ability to keep getting bigger, enable it to have so many flights, too. The amount of available land for ATL to expand gives it a huge advantage over airports in bigger cities that don't necessarily have the space to continue growing bigger every year, like New York's JFK. ATL may have grown in 2024, but this isn't the first time it's been No. 1. In fact, the OAG ranked as the busiest airport in 2019 and 2023, too.

While Dallas Fort Worth may be No. 5 out of 5 of the busiest airports, it is the fastest growing, too — so, this probably isn't the last time you'll see DFW in OAG's rankings. Back in 2019, it was only the 13th busiest airport, but as its capacity grew, it climbed up the ranking. Like ATL, it owes some of that to connecting flights and layovers. According to USA Today, John Grant of the OAG explained: "Recent developments in both Dallas/Fort Worth...highlight the competitive nature of the market in the United States which results in choices for the connecting traveler market."

DFW isn't just a high capacity airport — it's sprawling. You might have to walk over 2 miles to reach your gate if you don't hop on a shuttle. Its impressive size and capacity don't necessarily make for a pleasant airport experience, however. DFW has also been ranked as one of the worst airports in the U.S. According to a study of 500 American travelers from Upgraded Points, ATL has its share of complaints as well, and only a slightly higher approval rating from passengers than DFW.