World’s 10 Biggest Airports

The ten biggest airports in the world in terms of total airfield size.

1. King Fahd International Airport

King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, is the largest airport in the world with a total area of 776 square kilometers and a terminal area of 3.52 million square feet.

Located 31km northwest of Dammam, King Fahd International Airport has been the largest airport in the world since its opening in November 1999.

The airfield, which is also known as Dammam International Airport, is named after Fahd bin Abdulaziz who ruled Saudi Arabia from 1982 until his death on August 1, 2005.

King Fahd International Airport is the hub for SaudiGulf Airlines, Flynas, and Saudia. Saudi Aramco Aviation, the state-owned oil giant, also flies in and out of the world’s largest airport.

The airport, which handles more than 10 million passengers each year, is served by two runways – both 4km long – and three terminal buildings.

These include the Passenger Terminal (used by ordinary travellers); Aramco Terminal (used by Aramco staff to board its flights); and Royal Terminal used by the Saudi royal family.

2. Denver International Airport

Denver International Airport is the biggest airport in the United States – and the second largest in the world – in terms of land area. It is located 40km from Denver, Colorado.

DIA, which was opened in 1995, has a total area of 135.71 square kilometers. The airport is served by Jeppesen Terminal with a built-up area of over 1.5 million square feet.

Jeppesen Terminal is being upgraded to serve up to 100 million passengers per year. This is important considering that over 69 million passengers passed through the airport in 2019.

DIA is the hub for Frontier Airlines and United Airlines and an operating base for Southwest Airlines. The airport is the biggest employer in Colorado with more than 35,000 workers.

3. New Istanbul Airport

With a total area of 76.5 square kilometers, Istanbul Airport joined the list of world’s biggest airports in 2018 following the opening of the first phase of the facility.

The airport, which serves as a global hub between Asia, Africa and Europe, currently has a capacity to serve 90 million passengers.

On completion of all the four phases of the project in 2025, Istanbul Airport will have a capacity of 200 million passengers – overtaking Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, currently the world’s busiest airport, which handles 107 million passengers a year.

The new airport boasts an internationally-acclaimed design. Its air traffic control tower, for example, is shaped like a tulip, a popular and symbolic flower in Turkish culture.

IST serves as a global hub between Asia, Africa and Europe.

4. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

Also known as DFW Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is a huge airport that serves the Dallas and Fort Worth metroplex area of the state of Texas.

DFW is the second biggest airport in US.

The airport, which opened in 1973, is located halfway between the two cities and has a total area of 69.63 square kilometers – making it bigger than the island of Manhattan.

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In fact, the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is so big that it is technically considered a city – complete with its own ZIP code and emergency services.

DFW is the hub for American Airlines, Ameriflight and UPS Airlines.

5. Orlando International Airport

Located 10km southeast of Orlando, Florida, Orlando International Airport is one of the biggest airports in the world, with a total area of 53.83 square kilometers.

The airport serves about 50 million passengers a year (most travelling to Disney World) – making it one of the busiest airports in the United States.

Orlando International Airport was opened in 1981 and it serves 135 destinations.

The airport is the hub for Silver Airways and a focus site for Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines and Spirit Airlines.

6. Washington Dulles International Airport

Located in Chantilly, Virginia, 42km west of downtown Washington, DC, Dulles International Airport is one of the three biggest airports in the Baltimore-Washington metroplex area – the others being Reagan National Airport and the Baltimore/Washington International Airport.

The airport, which opened in 1962, is named after J.F Dulles, the 52nd Secretary of State.

Dulles International Airport has a total area of 48.56 square kilometers and handles more than 24 million passengers a year. It is the hub for United Airlines, and Southern Airways.

7. Beijing Daxing International Airport

Beijing Daxing International Airport, also known as Beijing New Airport, is an impressive airfield located on the border of Beijing and Langfang, Hebei Province.

Beijing Daxing boasts the world’s largest airport terminal – spanning 7.5 million square feet. It is, however, the seventh biggest airport with a total area of 47 square kilometers.

Built in four years at a cost of $11 billion, Beijing Daxing Airport was opened in September 2019 – officially becoming the world’s largest single-terminal airport.

8. George Bush Intercontinental Airport

The George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, is the eighth biggest airport in the world and the fifth largest in America.

The airport, which is located 27km north of downtown Houston, is named after George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States.

The George Bush Intercontinental Airport has a total area of 44.51 square kilometers and handles more than 40 million passengers a year.

The airport is a hub for the United Airlines and Atlas Air.

9. Shanghai Pudong International Airport

Located in Pudong, 30km south-east of Shanghai, the Shanghai Pudong International Airport is the ninth largest airport in the world with a total land area of 39.88 square kilometers.

The airport, which is served by two main passenger terminals, handled a whopping 74 million passengers in 2018 exceeding its annual capacity of 60 million passengers.

However, a third passenger terminal was opened in 2021 – together with a satellite terminal and two extra runways – raising the airport’s capacity to 80 million passengers.

Shanghai Pudong is the main hub for China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines, and a major international hub for Air China. It is a secondary hub for China Southern Airlines.

10. Cairo International Airport

Cairo International Airport, with a total land area of 36.25 square kilometers, is the largest airport in Africa and the only African airport to appear in the list of world’s largest airports.

Located in Heliopolis, 15km northeast of Cairo, Cairo International Airport served 15 million passengers in 2017 – making it the second busiest airport in Africa after Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport, which handled 21 million passengers.

Cairo International Airport is the main hub for EgyptAir and Nile Air.

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