The 100M pax club
2 May 2025
The year 2024 saw a strong performance in the civil aviation industry, with most regions surpassing pre-COVID-19 figures. This analysis focuses on airports and airport systems that recorded a combined passenger volume of over 100 million in 2024.
In total, 12 airports or airport systems met this threshold, with four joining this exclusive group for the first time: Beijing, Chicago, Dallas, and Shanghai. Unlike the 11 airport systems included in this analysis, Atlanta operates as a single airport and remains the busiest in the world. Notably, all cities reported passenger growth compared to the previous year.
London clearly leads the ranking, handling 177.4 million passengers across its six airports in 2024. Its system includes London Heathrow (LHR) - Europe’s busiest airport - as well as Gatwick (LGW), Stansted (STN), Luton (LTN), City (LCY), and Southend (SEN). London’s airports collectively grew by +5.7%, with none experiencing a decline.
New York ranks second, handling a total of 149.5 million passengers (+1.3%). Major contributions came from John F. Kennedy (JFK), followed by Newark (EWR), LaGuardia (LGA), Long Island/Islip (ISP), and White Plains/Westchester (HPN).
Tokyo completes the top three with 125.3 million passengers (+11.7%), served primarily by Haneda (HND), Narita (NRT), and the low-cost alternative Ibaraki (IBR).
Close behind is Shanghai, showing an impressive growth rate of +28.7%. Together, Shanghai Pudong (PVG) and Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) handled 124.7 million passengers. It will be interesting to see if Shanghai overtakes Tokyo in 2025.
Istanbul ranks fifth, strengthening Europe’s presence among the leaders. Istanbul International Airport (IST) on the European side of the Bosporus, together with Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW) on the Asian side, handled 121.6 million passengers, achieving a growth rate of +7.5%.
Another Chinese city, Beijing, follows next. Combined, Beijing Capital (PEK) and Beijing Daxing (PKX) handled 116.8 million passengers (+26.6%).
Paris ranks seventh, completing Europe's contribution to the top group. Its airports - Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Orly (ORY), Beauvais (BVA), and Vatry (XCR) - handled 110.0 million passengers (+4.4%), with Charles de Gaulle accounting for the largest share.
Almost level with Paris, Dubai follows with 109.9 million passengers (+7.0%), processed across Dubai International (DXB), Sharjah (SHJ), and Dubai World Central (DWC).
Atlanta (ATL), the world’s busiest single airport, comes next (rank 10) with 108.1 million passengers (+3.3%).
Los Angeles rounds out the top ten with 105.5 million passengers. Its system includes Los Angeles International (LAX), Santa Ana (SNA), Ontario (ONT), Burbank (BUR), and Long Beach (LGB), achieving a combined growth rate of +2.4%.
Close behind, Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and Love Field (DAL) handled 104.1 million passengers (+4.8%), securing the 11th position.
Finally, new entrant Chicago closes the list with 101.8 million passengers. O’Hare (ORD), Midway (MDW), and Rockford (RFD) together achieved a growth rate of +5.9%, enabling Chicago to join the club of airports surpassing 100 million passengers.
Looking ahead, Miami is well-positioned to cross the 100-million mark in 2025. Miami narrowly missed the milestone, handling 99.5 million passengers across Miami International (MIA), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), and West Palm Beach (PBI). Additionally, given the dynamic growth in Asia, Seoul and Bangkok - with 94.1 million and 92.7 million passengers respectively - are expected to join the list soon.
Overall, while Asian airports are growing at an outstanding pace and will likely reshuffle the rankings, North American airports are seeing more modest growth rates. This trend suggests that position changes in the ranking are to be expected, particularly driven by the rapid expansion in Asia.