The 10 Busiest Airports in the World by Aircraft Movements

When we talk about the world’s busiest airports, passenger numbers usually grab the headlines.

But for plane spotters, there is another statistic which is arguably much more interesting: aircraft movements.

Rather than measuring how many people pass through the terminals, aircraft movements count every takeoff and landing. An airport handling large numbers of domestic and regional flights can therefore rank much higher than an international hub dominated by large widebody aircraft.

And the latest figures reveal a new airport at the top.

According to the latest global figures published by Airports Council International (ACI) World in 2026, Chicago O’Hare has overtaken Atlanta as the world’s busiest airport for aircraft movements.

Here are the top ten.

Note: Complete 2026 figures are not yet available. This ranking uses ACI World’s latest full-year global aircraft movement statistics, covering 2025 and published in 2026.

Top Ten Busiest Airports by Movements

10. Istanbul Airport, Turkey

549,309 aircraft movements

Istanbul has rapidly established itself as one of the world’s great aviation hubs.

Opened in 2018 to replace the increasingly constrained Atatürk Airport, it has become the enormous home hub of Turkish Airlines.

That makes it particularly interesting for enthusiasts.

Alongside Turkish Airlines’ huge Airbus and Boeing fleet, Istanbul attracts carriers from across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, plus plenty of cargo traffic.

It recorded just under 550,000 takeoffs and landings during 2025.

The airport is still growing, too. Istanbul recently overtook London Heathrow for passenger numbers during July 2026, underlining just how quickly the Turkish hub continues to expand.

[Read: Spotting Rare and Banned Airliners in Istanbul]

9. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China

550,512 aircraft movements

Just ahead of Istanbul is Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

Guangzhou is one of China’s most important aviation gateways and the main hub of China Southern Airlines, which alone ensures a huge number of daily movements.

The airport is also served by most of China’s other major airlines, alongside a growing selection of international carriers and cargo operators.

China’s aviation market has continued to recover strongly following the disruption of the pandemic years, helping Guangzhou return to the upper reaches of the world’s airport rankings.

8. Shanghai Pudong International Airport, China

557,043 aircraft movements

China also takes eighth position.

Shanghai Pudong is one of Asia’s most important international gateways and the principal hub of China Eastern Airlines.

Unlike Shanghai Hongqiao, which has a greater emphasis on domestic flying, Pudong sees an enormous variety of international passenger and cargo traffic.

Air China, China Southern, Juneyao Air and Spring Airlines add to the huge volume of Chinese traffic, while airlines from around the world serve the airport.

Pudong is also one of the world’s great cargo airports, bringing aircraft from operators including FedEx, UPS, DHL, China Cargo Airlines and numerous Asian freight carriers.

It recorded more than 557,000 aircraft movements in 2025.

7. Charlotte Douglas International Airport, USA

574,193 aircraft movements

Photo (c) Sean Davis

Charlotte might be a surprising entry for anyone outside the United States.

It handled fewer passengers than many better-known international airports, yet recorded more than 574,000 aircraft movements.

There’s a simple explanation: American Airlines.

Charlotte is one of American’s most important hubs and handles an enormous number of domestic flights feeding passengers between cities across the eastern United States and the airline’s longer routes.

For spotters this means lots of activity, although American Airlines naturally dominates proceedings.

The airport is also particularly enthusiast-friendly thanks to its well-known public overlook, which was replaced with an impressive new viewing area as part of the airport’s expansion.

6. Los Angeles International Airport, USA

580,996 aircraft movements

Photo (c) Ian Abbott

LAX needs little introduction.

Los Angeles International remains one of the great plane spotting airports of the world, and in 2025 it recorded almost 581,000 takeoffs and landings.

What makes LAX special is not simply the number of aircraft, but their variety.

The airport is a major base for American, Delta, Southwest and United, while Alaska Airlines also has a significant presence.

Then there is the international traffic.

Airlines arrive from across Asia, Europe, Australasia, Latin America, Canada and the Middle East, with widebody aircraft still making up a significant proportion of the international movements.

Add the famous spotting locations around the airport – including the In-N-Out Burger beside Runway 24R – and LAX remains one of the world’s essential airports for aviation enthusiasts.

[Read: 7 Reasons to Go Plane Spotting at LAX]

5. Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas, USA

586,871 aircraft movements

Las Vegas takes fifth place with nearly 587,000 movements.

Much of its traffic is naturally driven by the enormous tourism and convention industry surrounding the city.

Southwest Airlines is particularly prominent, while Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, Spirit and United contribute large numbers of domestic flights.

There are international services too, including long-haul aircraft linking Las Vegas with Europe and other overseas destinations.

For enthusiasts, another attraction is the sheer number of business jets associated with major conventions, sporting events and entertainment.

During particularly important events, Las Vegas can experience extraordinary waves of corporate aviation movements.

[Read: 5 Great Spots for Watching Planes at Las Vegas]

4. Denver International Airport, USA

701,335 aircraft movements

There’s a significant jump between fifth and fourth place.

Denver recorded more than 701,000 aircraft movements during 2025.

United Airlines operates a huge hub here, while Southwest also has a major presence. Frontier Airlines was founded in Denver and remains another familiar operator.

The airport’s geographical position makes it ideally suited to connecting passengers between the eastern and western United States, helping explain its enormous number of domestic flights.

Denver is also notable for its size.

The airport covers approximately 33,500 acres and has six runways, giving it plenty of capacity to handle its huge volume of movements.

3. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, USA

743,394 aircraft movements

Dallas/Fort Worth remains firmly established among the world’s aviation giants.

The airport recorded more than 743,000 movements during 2025.

Unsurprisingly, American Airlines is responsible for a large proportion of them.

DFW is American’s largest and most important hub, with waves of flights arriving from cities throughout North America before connecting onwards across the United States and to Europe, Asia, Latin America and elsewhere.

This hub structure generates an extraordinary number of takeoffs and landings.

DFW is also continuing to expand. Terminal F is under construction as part of a major development programme which should eventually provide additional capacity.

For spotters, the airport’s Founders’ Plaza observation area provides one of the better official viewing locations at a major US hub.

2. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, USA

807,625 aircraft movements

Atlanta is still the world’s busiest airport when measured by passenger numbers.

But it has lost another crown.

For several years ATL also topped the aircraft movement rankings. In 2025 it recorded an enormous 807,625 takeoffs and landings, an increase over the previous year.

That was not enough to retain first place.

Atlanta’s extraordinary traffic levels are largely the result of Delta Air Lines, which operates its largest hub here.

The airport’s five parallel runways and highly efficient layout allow enormous waves of aircraft to arrive and depart throughout the day.

Atlanta’s own statistics show that the intensity has continued into 2026. By the end of May, the airport had already handled 329,903 aircraft operations, slightly ahead of the same period in 2025.

Yet another airport has now moved ahead.

[Read: 10 Amazing Facts About Atlanta Airport for Plane Spotters]

1. Chicago O’Hare International Airport, USA

857,392 aircraft movements

The world’s busiest airport for aircraft movements is Chicago O’Hare.

ORD recorded an astonishing 857,392 takeoffs and landings during 2025, an increase of more than 10% over the previous year.

That was enough to leapfrog Atlanta and reclaim a title Chicago has held many times before.

O’Hare has an advantage which also makes it particularly interesting to enthusiasts: it is a huge hub for two major airlines.

United Airlines has one of its most important bases here, while American Airlines also maintains a large hub.

Add numerous other domestic carriers, plus an impressive list of international airlines, and the result is an almost continuous stream of aircraft.

Chicago is also a major cargo gateway, bringing additional freighter movements.

For sheer numbers of aircraft taking off and landing, nowhere in the world currently beats O’Hare.

World’s Busiest Airports by Aircraft Movements

The latest complete ACI World figures rank the top ten as follows:

The figures reveal just how dominant the United States remains when airports are ranked by aircraft rather than passengers.

Seven of the world’s ten busiest airports for aircraft movements are in the United States.

There isn’t a single airport in Western Europe among the top ten. London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam Schiphol and Frankfurt may handle enormous numbers of passengers and international flights, but airlines increasingly use larger aircraft at these capacity-constrained hubs.

The American domestic aviation market works differently.

Huge numbers of Boeing 737s, Airbus A320-family aircraft and regional jets feed passengers through airline hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Denver and Charlotte, generating hundreds of thousands of additional takeoffs and landings.

For plane spotters, that’s what makes the aircraft movement ranking particularly interesting.

Passenger statistics tell us where the most people are.

Aircraft movements tell us where you’re likely to see the most aeroplanes.

And right now, Chicago O’Hare is the busiest of them all.

Want To Where to Go Spotting? Here’s How To Take It Further

If you’re searching for places to spot these aircraft, the next step is knowing exactly where to go and how to make the most of your spotting trips.

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