London Heathrow has cemented its position as one of the world's premier aviation hubs, ranking seventh in global passenger numbers last year, with 84.4 million people passing through its gates. This makes it the busiest airport in Europe and underlines its importance to UK transport networks.
Globally, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International in the US has maintained its position as the world's busiest airport for the third consecutive year, despite a 1.6 per cent decline from 2024. The airport handled over 106 million passengers last year and has been at the top of the rankings since regaining its leading spot in 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic impacted air travel.
Dubai International secured second place with an impressive 3.1 per cent increase, serving over 95 million passengers, largely driven by its strategic role as a gateway to the UAE and extensive network of connecting flights. Tokyo Haneda in Japan saw significant growth, rising to third place with over 91 million passengers – a 6.7 per cent increase on the previous year.
Heathrow's European neighbours also fared well, with Istanbul Airport just 44,000 passengers behind Heathrow in the global rankings, followed closely by Paris, Amsterdam, and Madrid airports. The strong recovery of air travel across Europe is reflected in these results.
The ACI dataset revealed a total of 9.8 billion passengers travelled globally through 2,817 airports in over 180 countries and territories last year. The top 20 busiest airports collectively handled 1.59 billion passengers – representing 16 per cent of all global air travellers.