ANKARA
Global air travel continued its steady growth in 2024, with Dubai, Atlanta, and Tokyo ranking as the top three busiest airports for international passengers, according to the Official Airline Guide (OAG).
Aug. 2, 2024 was the busiest day for air travel, with over 19 million seats available, exceeding the daily average by 18%.
The lowest capacity day was Nov. 28, with around 14.8 million tickets sold, coinciding with the US Thanksgiving holiday.
Busiest flight routes
OAG's top 10 busiest international routes in 2024 were:
- Hong Kong-Taipei
- Cairo-Jeddah
- Seoul Incheon-Tokyo Narita
- Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Changi
- Seoul Incheon-Osaka Kansai
- Dubai-Riyadh
- Bangkok-Hong Kong
- Jakarta-Singapore Changi
- Bangkok-Singapore Changi
- New York JFK-London Heathrow
The Hong Kong-Taipei route was the busiest in 2024, with around 6.8 million passengers.
Passenger traffic in key airports
Hong Kong International Airport handled nearly 48 million passengers in the first 11 months of 2024, with traffic up 36.4%, according to Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department.
The Cairo-Jeddah route recorded 5.5 million passengers, while both the Seoul Incheon-Tokyo Narita and Kuala Lumpur-Singapore Changi routes saw 5.4 million passengers each.
Singapore Changi Airport served 61.24 million passengers from January to November 2024, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. Other busy routes included Seoul Incheon-Osaka Kansai (4.9 million), Dubai-Riyadh (4.3 million), and Jakarta-Singapore Changi (4.07 million).
The New York JFK-London Heathrow route saw around 4 million tickets sold.
According to Airports Council International’s forecast, global passenger traffic in 2024 is expected to hit 9.5 billion, with 4.1 billion for international travel and 5.4 billion for domestic travel.
Top 10 busiest airports in 2024
Dubai International Airport topped the list of busiest airports for 2024 with 5.278 million passengers, followed by:
1. Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson – 5.227 million
2. Tokyo Haneda – 4.007 million
3. London Heathrow – 4.256 million
4. Dallas/Fort Worth – 4.240 million
5. Shanghai Pudong – 4.044 million
6. Denver International – 4.009 million
7. Istanbul Airport – 3.989 million
8. Delhi Airport – 3.959 million
9. Baiyun International (Guangzhou) – 3.955 million
When considering only international flights, Dubai remained in the lead with 5.278 million passengers, followed by London Heathrow (3.964 million), Singapore Changi (3.755 million), and Seoul Incheon (3.677 million).
Global connectivity megahubs
The top three international airports for connectivity in 2024 were:
1. London Heathrow (UK)
2. Kuala Lumpur International (Malaysia)
3. Tokyo Haneda (Japan)
Other highly connected airports included Amsterdam (276 destinations), Istanbul (324 destinations), and Frankfurt (309 destinations).
Least delays
Aeromexico ranked first for punctuality in 2024, followed by Saudia, Delta Air Lines, LATAM Airlines, and Qatar Airways, according to Cirium Aviation Analytics.
Among airports, Riyadh King Khalid, Lima Jorge Chavez, Mexico City Benito Juarez, Salt Lake City, and Santiago Arturo Merino Benitez had the fewest delays.
*Writing by Mevlut Ozkan
