Dubai International (DXB) airport started 2024 on a high note, moving up one position to become the busiest global airport in January.
Data released by aviation consultancy OAG showed that Dubai International, home of the largest international carrier Emirates, recorded 5 million seats in January 2024, surpassing Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL), which moved down into second place with 4.7 million seats. The American airport’s capacity decreased by 8 per cent this month compared to last month.
In January 2023, Dubai International Airport (DXB) was the second busiest global airport and in 2019 it was the third.
OAG also ranked DXB as the busiest international airport in 2023 with 56.5 million seats. The Middle East aviation hub, which was also the busiest international airport in 2022 and 2019 with seating capacity of 53.98 million and 45.27 million, respectively, recorded a 25 per cent increase in seats this year as compared to last year.
The rankings are based on scheduled capacity in the current month and compared to the equivalent month in 2023. The top 10 busiest airports are calculated using total capacity (domestic and international) and the top 10 busiest international airports are calculated using international seats only.
Tokyo International (Haneda), Guangzhou, London Heathrow, Dallas/Fort Worth, Shanghai Pudong, Denver International, Istanbul and Beijing Capital International airports were the 10 busiest global airports in January.
Dubai maintained its position as the busiest international airport, followed by London Heathrow, Seoul Incheon, Singapore Changi, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Hong Kong International, Doha, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International.