Multi-Airport Systems: Why Cities Need More Than One Airport - and Why 2025/26 Is a Turning Point
14 July 2026 | Blog #38
For most travelers, airports are simply the starting point of a journey. Yet in many metropolitan regions around the world, choosing the correct airport is already part of the travel planning process. London, New York, and Los Angeles are among the best-known examples of so-called multi-airport systems, where several airports jointly serve the same metropolitan area.
Today, more than 75 multi-airport systems exist worldwide. While some have evolved over decades, recent developments show that the concept remains highly dynamic. Between 2025 and 2026 alone, several cities either gained a second airport, expanded an existing multi-airport structure, or even briefly created and then dissolved one.
Why Do Multi-Airport Systems Exist?
The reasons are far more complex than simply running out of space.
Airports within the same metropolitan area often fulfill very different functions:
- Hub airports for global network carriers and alliances
- Point-to-point facilities focused on origin-and-destination traffic
- Low-cost carrier airports
- Cargo-focused airports
- Charter airports
- General aviation airports
- Airports with domestic-only operations
- Airports specializing in international services
Additional factors include:
- Different ownership structures
- Diverging operating hours and curfews
- Runway length restrictions
- Terminal capacity limitations
- Separate catchment areas within large metropolitan regions
- Infrastructure constraints at older airports
For travelers, multi-airport systems can also create challenges. Low-cost carriers frequently use secondary airports located far from the city they advertise. A flight marketed as serving a famous city can actually land dozens of kilometers away. Especially infrequent travelers should therefore always verify where their destination airport is located and whether convenient public transport connections exist.
Montreal: A Mature Multi-Airport System Gains Momentum
Montreal has long operated a three-airport system:
· Montreal Trudeau (YUL): main international and national gateway, home base for Air
Canada, Air Creebec, Air Transat, Air Inuit, and PAL Airlines; focus city for Porter
Airlines and WestJet
· Montreal Mirabel (YMX): cargo, aerospace industry, general aviation
· Montreal Metropolitan (YHU): Regional and domestic traffic
The biggest recent development is the transformation of Montréal Metropolitan Airport (formerly Saint-Hubert Airport). Originally opened in 1927, the airport was traditionally used by general aviation operators, flight schools and regional airlines. In June 2026 a new passenger terminal opened and Porter Airlines established a major operational base there. Initial service covers approximately a dozen domestic destinations across Canada, while the airport is ultimately designed to handle around 4 million passengers annually.
Prior to Porter’s arrival, scheduled services were mainly offered by Pascan Aviation and Air Liaison. The new base effectively creates a second significant passenger airport in the Montreal area alongside Trudeau.
Meanwhile, Montréal-Mirabel (YMX) continues its remarkable transformation. Once intended to become Canada's major international gateway, it now serves cargo operators, general aviation activities, FIFO operations and hosts the Airbus A220 final assembly line.
The result is a fascinating example of how airports can reinvent themselves rather than disappear.
Luanda: A Temporary Multi-Airport System
Not every multi-airport system is created to last.
For many years, Quatro de Fevereiro Airport (LAD) served as Luanda's sole airport. The opening of the new Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport (NBJ) changed the picture dramatically. The new airport, inaugurated in 2023, was designed for 15 million annual passengers and 130,000 tonnes of cargo, making it one of Africa's largest airport projects. It also became the new hub of TAAG Angola Airlines.
International flights gradually shifted to NBJ during 2025, while the remaining services moved in early 2026.
As a result, Luanda only operated a genuine multi-airport system between roughly October 2025 and March 2026. Given the city's traffic volumes, maintaining two parallel commercial airports would have been difficult to justify economically. Luanda therefore represents a rare example of a short-lived multi-airport experiment that quickly reverted to a single-airport model.
Dallas: From Two Airports to Three
The Dallas-Fort Worth region already had one of North America's most successful multi-airport systems:
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW): home base of American Airlines
- Dallas Love Field (DAL): home base of Southwest Airlines
Now a third commercial airport is joining the network.
In 2026, McKinney National Airport (DTX) secured its first scheduled airline service when Avelo Airlines announced routes to Las Vegas, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and Tampa. The carrier will station aircraft locally and establish a new operational base.
The development is particularly notable because DFW is currently the world's fourth-busiest airport by passenger traffic, making Dallas one of the few metropolitan areas where demand is strong enough to support the emergence of a third commercial passenger airport.
India: The World's Fastest Growing Multi-Airport Market
Perhaps nowhere is the trend more visible than in India. The country's rapid aviation growth is forcing major metropolitan regions to expand beyond a single-airport model.
Mumbai: Finally Becoming a Two-Airport City
For decades, Mumbai relied exclusively on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM), one of the world's most constrained major airports. IndiGo uses the airport facilities as an operating base for domestic and international flights. In 2025 the airport handled roughly 55 million passengers making it the second busiest airport in India (behind DEL) and 28th worldwide.
The opening of Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI) in late 2025 finally created a multi-airport system. Initial capacity stands at approximately 20 million passengers annually, with long-term expansion plans reaching up to 90 million passengers per year.
The new airport primarily serves as a relief facility, unlocking growth opportunities that the existing airport simply could no longer accommodate.
Goa: Tourism Supports a Dual-Airport Strategy
Goa traditionally relied on ....
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Further Reading & Stay Connected
If you would like to explore the topic of airports, aviation infrastructure, and multi-airport systems in greater depth, I invite you to take a look at my books:
Both publications provide additional insights into airport development, airline networks, airport classifications, and the evolving role of aviation in connecting regions and economies.
Photo Credit: Konstantin von Wedelstaedt