Where is the largest airport in the world? Flying place: the largest airports in the world.

landscaping 14.10.2019
landscaping

A refugee from Iran, Mehran Karimi Nasseri, was forced to live at the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport for 18 years - he could not help flying, not leaving because of stolen documents. You wouldn't wish this on an enemy either, but Mehran survived, and not only because he had nowhere to go: De Gaulle is a whole city that has everything a person needs. ELLE has compiled the top 7 largest airports in the world.

Saudi Arabia

What is the largest airport in the world? And what is in common between the Latvian capital Riga and the King Fahd Airport (KFIA), which is located on the outskirts of the Saudi city of Dammam? The fact that KFIA is twice as big as Riga. In terms of size, of course. Until 2000, 780 square kilometers of the airport were used for military purposes, and for the last 15 years they have served as civil aviation. KFIA, the world's largest airport by area, boasts six levels of terminals, including the Royal Terminal, whose name speaks for itself - it serves the royal family. There are two runways, located in parallel at a distance of two kilometers, its own mosque, which can accommodate two thousand people (!). Airport parking lots are designed for, scary to say, four thousand cars. But the most surprising thing is that KFIA does not develop its gigantic resource - given its scale, the airport's workload leaves much to be desired. And all because it is inconveniently located. The situation is gradually changing for the better, passenger traffic is growing, but all the same, “King Fahd” is not working at full strength.

The largest airport in the United States by area is the last one built in this country today. He is only twenty years old, but he is already overgrown with legends. This is due to a very unusual appearance and design of Denver International Airport. Firstly, its terminal is completely covered with white tents. It looks original, but very strange.

Secondly, the symbol of DIA is a creepy-looking horse, or rather, a sculpture of a blue horse rearing up. The animal's eyes glow around the clock, and the history of its creation chills the blood. The famous master Luis Jimenez worked on the statue, installed at the end of the 2000s. The work took him as long as thirteen years, and it also ruined him - the sculptor was killed by the fallen torso of a horse. The statue was brought to mind by his children.

And that's not it. Symbols and signs are scattered throughout the airport, which cause increased nervousness in citizens prone to conspiracy theories and mysticism. On the walls you can see giant frescoes depicting women of different skin colors, a creepy monster in military uniform reminiscent of the Nazi, and stuff like that. There is also a strange-looking slab with incomprehensible inscriptions. It is not surprising that thousands of people stubbornly believe in the legend of an underground city located under the DIA, intended for the world's elites.

The area of ​​​​the territory is not the most important thing for the airport. Whether business congestion. In this sense undisputed leader, oddly enough, is based not in some major world capital, but in the American city of Atlanta. Hartsfield-Jackson passes 90 million passengers annually, overtaking such popular airports as London Heathrow (70 million) and Charles de Gaulle (60 million people in total). Hartsfield-Jackson is not well known because it serves mainly domestic flights, primarily between the northern and southern states of the country. 250,000 passengers daily, 100 planes every hour, something incredible. The airport employs 55,000 - can you imagine, fifty-five thousand! - human. And as far as size goes, Hartsfield-Jackson is fine too. 2,000 hectares are ten parks in Sochi. Or the whole area of ​​the center of Atlanta, which, by the way, is not so small city. If you still can not imagine, then another analogy. The size of only the service areas of the airport - shops, cafes, exchange offices and other things - is equal to three Luzhniki stadiums. Not bad, really.

Shoudu is the largest airport in China (and Asia, respectively) and the owner of the world "silver" - in the sense that it is second only to its competitor in Atlanta in the US in terms of workload.

80 million people fly in and out here and there. Over the 60 years of its existence, the Shoud has already been reconstructed three times, the last time, as you might guess, for the Beijing Olympics, 7 years ago. What you should definitely know about the airport is that the prices in the shops here are basically the same as outside it. Not a cent (yuan) higher. It's nice.

By the way, now in the Chinese capital, the construction of another airport, Daxing, has begun, which promises to become the largest in the world. 130 million passengers will be ready to receive it! Budget - $ 80 billion, architect - Zaha Hadid - in general, by 2020 something grandiose will grow in Beijing.

The Emirates is a real fairy tale in the flesh, and this also applies to the airport. Just half a century ago, Dubai's airport was barely able to handle one plane, and now about 70 million passengers and 30 flights pass through it every hour. Huge territory, four hotels, swimming pools, spas, free baby strollers and electric cars, free showers - is this not a consumer paradise!

Just keep in mind that all passengers must undergo a retinal scan upon arrival. That is the law. And further. Dubai Airport has become the "hero" of a documentary series airing on the National Geographic channel. The third season started this year. Must be a fascinating sight.

Great Britain

If the Shoudou is the most "throughput" in Asia, then Heathrow is the champion on a European scale. However, the most frequent flights from here do not go to Rome, Paris or Berlin at all, but across the ocean - to New York. On the territory of Heathrow, everything is arranged perfectly - a lot of shops, its own chapel, priests of almost all religions of the world. They also think about the smaller brothers here: official cars rolling around the airport are equipped with speakers that reproduce recordings of bird calls. To scare away the birds - God forbid they get into the turbine of some liner.

Despite a long history, British gloss and excellent service for those who are waiting, Heathrow managed to get the title of the worst in the world a few years ago due to regular flight delays.

De Gaulle, located in the northeastern suburbs of the French capital, strikes with its scale - its area is 3.2 hectares. For comparison, Dubai Airport is spread over an area of ​​2.9 hectares. In terms of traffic, the airport is on a par with the hubs in Los Angeles and Tokyo - 60 million passengers annually. De Gaulle is very fond of rabbits, rock stars and filmmakers. Eared roam the fields of the airport, attracted by the grass, from where they are constantly chased by staff. As for rockers and filmmakers, it was at this airport that U2 filmed the video clip for the famous Beautiful Day, and director Brett Ratner is part of the scenes for his film Rush Hour. However, the cultural potential of De Gaulle is exhausted by these facts: over the past ten years, loud scandals have taken place here five times with the exposure of group thefts of luggage, in which a total of 80 loaders were involved. Here's France. All this, however, did not prevent Mehran Karimi Nasseri, a refugee from Iran, from living in De Gaulle for 18 years, as his documents were stolen. This story formed the basis of Steven Spielberg's movie The Terminal.

An airport is the most treasured place where every day thousands of people leave one country and arrive on the territory of other states. Turmoil, noise, haste, exclamations, expectation, happiness from meeting and sadness of parting - all these moments fill the huge halls, making us worry, rejoice and look forward to a comfortable flight.

What is the largest airport in the world? If you are dizzy from being in the territories of small airports, then visiting Atlanta or Tokyo, you will be greatly surprised at how large the premises or areas for waiting for a flight can be. Of course, Moscow airports are quite large, which makes them not only spacious, but also comfortable. Nevertheless, foreign sites surprise with their scale and the number of people who are daily in these territories. We offer you a small rating, after reading which you can easily answer the question of where is the largest airport in the world.

Airport in Tokyo Haneda

The first participant in the rating "The largest airport in the world" is Haneda (Tokyo). The airport is quite modern, new and very beautiful. Availability required amount various services - terminals, cafes, duty-free zones, etc. - makes the premises convenient for tourists and travelers who are forced to wait for their flight for more than three to four hours. On the territory of the airport there is a spacious hotel (387 rooms), offering its services around the clock.

In addition, here you will find a specially designated place for shopping and children's entertainment, where you can keep the children busy for a while. While waiting for the plane, there is no time here, and even more so there is nowhere to be bored. Everyone will find and do what he likes.

Airport in England London Heathrow

A huge airport that quite rightly claims the title of "The largest airport in the world." Heathrow is famous for its shopping line and has also been awarded for Better conditions in relation to the location of tourists Business Traveler Awards.

Here you will find five terminals for passengers and one for cargo. Tourists speak of Heathrow as a cozy, spacious and comfortable airport, which is always clean, tidy and ready to receive a sufficient number of people. Based on statistics, annually Heathrow serves about 67,000,000 citizens of various countries.

The peculiarity of this airport is the presence unusual rooms, where believers can say a prayer and be "alone with God." This kind of care is pleasing and makes sure that the British are happy to welcome foreign guests of any race and creed.

Airport in Chicago O "Hare

One of the leaders in our ranking "The largest airport in the world" is a site built in Chicago. More than 67,000,000 people are served annually in this territory. This airport, about a decade ago, occupied the top lines in terms of maximum passenger traffic, as it made about 2663 take-offs and landings daily. Frequent flight delays have become the main reason for the restriction of departures and landings in this territory. It would seem that this moment should have solved the problem huge amount passengers. However, the airport is no less popular, but a delay or cancellation of a flight is quite normal, so always be on the lookout if you decide to leave from this site.

Airport in Beijing Beijing Capital

A huge duty-free area is always ready to offer its services to tourists. In addition, the airport has an excellent shopping area and a chain of restaurants where you can spend time while waiting for your flight. Beijing International Airport is noted as one of the most technologically advanced. Most of the processes are automated, which makes the service as comfortable and efficient as possible.

Airport in Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson

The largest airport in terms of area receives about 89,000,000 people annually. In order to properly serve such a number of passengers, about 55,000 employees work on the site.

Many tourists note the correct and convenient organization of the premises. This airport has 196 exits, but it is almost impossible to get confused and get out of your way. The letter designations of the terminals clearly orient passengers.

The pages of the official resource provide all the data on the schedule, departure / arrival, ticket booking, etc.

Airport in Dubai "Al Maktoum"

In 2013, a new airport built on the territory of Jabel Ali began to actively receive passengers. The aviation industry in Dubai, like many other industries, is developing very actively, using modern technologies. Al Maktoum International Airport is owned by the local government. To date, the airport cannot boast of a full range of services for the most convenient and comfortable location of passengers, however, tourists note the convenience of the location of the terminals and the high-quality service of airport employees.

Airport in Saudi Arabia (Dammam) KFIA

The area of ​​this airport is 780 square meters. This site is rightly called one of the largest in the world. However, the number of travelers who have visited this airport is not so large - about five million. The matter is that KFIA is located not in the most convenient place. Initially, the site was used to transport the military. Since 1999, the territory has been used as an international platform. The absence of a huge flow of people makes the atmosphere calm and peaceful. Great service and the convenient location of shops, cafes and restaurants allow you to wait for the flight in comfortable conditions.

If we take Moscow airports into account, then it is worth noting Domodedovo, since it is the largest among domestic sites. Since 1963, the airport has been offering its services to passengers, gradually improving its service and the number of carriers. Today Domodedovo cooperates with 80 air carriers (Russian and foreign partners).

Even within the same continent, a long overland road can take a lot of energy and nerves from passengers, so everything more people prefer to travel long distances by plane. Sometimes there are situations when the aircraft is delayed and then the only thing left for passengers is to wait for their flight within the walls of the terminal. At this stage, it is easiest to assess the comfort of a person’s stay at the airport, the opportunity to relax, have a bite to eat and contact relatives. A truly comfortable airport is characterized by a good location, excellent service and the ability to fly to anywhere in the world. Such features are characteristic of a large and convenient airport terminal, in our rating we invite you to familiarize yourself with the top 10 largest airports in Europe.

Barcelona International Airport El Prat, Spain

The volume of passenger traffic per year is 39.7 million people. The airport has international status and is the largest transport hub in all of Catalonia. The location of the air harbor is ten kilometers southwest of Barcelona. Until 2012, the most popular route was from El Prat to Madrid-Barajas airport, but the high-speed rail line between the two cities has significantly reduced passenger traffic in this direction. Since 2009, an additional terminal has been opened in the terminal building, with an area of ​​5.5 thousand m2. The number of runways is three (one concrete, two asphalt), their length varies from 2540 m to 3352 m. The sky pier is central for airlines such as Iberia Airlines, Spanair and Air Europa, passenger and cargo flights are accepted around the clock. It is easier to get to the airport in the following ways: by car, by railway, by subway or bus.


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Gatwick Airport, UK

The volume of passenger traffic per year - 40.3 million people. The name "Gatwick" is first mentioned in the 13th century and is translated from English. language as "goat farm". "Gatwick Airport" belongs to the category of civilians, and is considered the second largest airport located in the capital of Great Britain. Gatwick is also the busiest of all airports with only one runway. The location of the air harbor is West Sussex, Crawley, just 5 km north of the central part of the city, 46 km from London and 40 km from Brighton. It receives and sends flights to two hundred destinations, about 265 thousand landings and takeoffs are made a year. Serves charter companies that are not allowed to land at Heathrow. Over the past 30 years, flights between the US and the UK have been considered the most important routes, due to the existence of a special agreement between the two states. For companies such as Virgin Atlantic, EasyJet and British Airways, the airport is the base.

Fiumicino Airport, Rome, Italy

The volume of passenger traffic per year - 40.5 million people. The airport is named after Leonardo da Vinci and is the largest air hub in the country. Located 30 km southwest of the capital of Italy, operates around the clock, has four asphalt runways. You can get to the airport via the expressway or the Leonardo Express. The opening took place in 1961, before that most of the air routes were directed to Ciampino. In total, there are five super-modern terminals on the territory of Fiumicino, which receive flights from such airlines as Air France, Alitalia, KLM, Blue Air, Aeroflot, Ukraine International Airlines, Air Canada, EgyptAir and others. During the operation of the airport, two terrorist attacks were committed here, in 1973 and 1985 (46 people died, 108 were injured) and one plane crash - in 1988 (26 passengers and the entire crew died).


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Munich Airport, Germany

The volume of passenger traffic per year is 41 million people. The international airport bears the name of Franz Josef Strauss, who was the prime minister of the state of Bavaria, has three 4-kilometer runways (concrete), one helicopter, and is of a civilian type. Location - Erding and Freising districts, Erdinger Moos area. The construction of the terminal began after another airport, München-Riem, could no longer cope with passenger traffic. The air harbor opened its doors in May 1992 and today is the second in the country in terms of the number of travelers transported. For the famous airline "Lufthansa" Flughafen München "Franz Josef Strauß" is the base. The area of ​​the airport is 15.5 km2, flights are accepted and depart around the clock. The building has two terminals: the first is marked with the letters A, B, C, D and E and is capable of receiving 25 million people a year. The most frequent flights from Munich Airport are to the UK, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Turkey.

Madrid Barajas Airport, Spain

The volume of passenger traffic per year - 46.8 million people. The airport is named after Adolfo Suarez, who was the first prime minister after the country was proclaimed a democracy. The air hub is located 14 km from the center of Madrid, which can be reached by metro, train or bus. The terminal building is equipped with four terminals, one of which has an area of ​​more than 760 thousand km2. Bright green buses, designated T1, T2, T3 and T4, circulate between the terminals. The air harbor has four asphalt runways, the length of which is from 3,620 m to 4,470 m. For Iberia Airlines, Barajas is central. Aeropuerto Adolfo Suárez, Madrid-Barajas also hosts such giants as Aeroflot, Air Europa, Aeroméxico, US Airways, Air France, United Airlines, American Airlines, Emirates, Ukraine International Airlines and Lufthansa. In 2008, a plane crashed at the airport en route to the Canary Islands. During bad landing 154 people out of 172 on board were killed.


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Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Netherlands

The volume of passenger traffic per year - 58.3 million people. Schiphol is the country's main airport and is located 17 km and a 20-minute drive from the Dutch capital. The opening of Schiphol took place in 1916, in English the name of the air harbor sounds like Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. In terms of the number of passengers carried, the airport is the fifth in Europe, in terms of cargo transportation - the third, after Paris and the Frankfurt am Main air hub. Schiphol has five runways for large aircraft and one for small aircraft. A proposal for the construction of the seventh runway has been submitted to the airport reconstruction project. The entire terminal building is one large terminal, which is divided into several huge waiting rooms and passes. For such airlines as Delta Air Lines, Transavia, Martinair and KLM, the airport is the base. Sky Pier Amsterdam has won more than 120 prizes in its history and has been named the best airport in the world 7 times.

Frankfurt am Main Airport, Germany

The volume of passenger traffic per year is 61 million people, the second name of the airport is Rhine-Main. It is considered the largest in Germany and ranks fourth in Europe in terms of the number of people transported, and first in terms of cargo transportation. Flughafen Frankfurt am Main was the first facility of its kind to automatically sort luggage. To date, the air hub has four runways, one asphalt and three concrete runways, the length of the runways is from 2800 to 4000 meters. The terminal building has two terminals for ordinary passengers and one luxury terminal for VIPs and those who fly in business class. From one terminal to another, there is a high-speed monorail, a shuttle bus, which is free to travel. You can get to the city by taxi (the cost of the service is about 40 euros), by electric train or bus. The airport is a hub for airlines such as Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa CityLine, Lufthansa, Condor and AeroLogic.


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Ataturk International Airport, Turkey

The volume of passenger traffic per year - 61.3 million people. İstanbul Atatürk Havalimanı is located 24 kilometers from the center of Istanbul, on the coast of the Sea of ​​Marmara, opened in 1912. In 1980, the airport was named after the first president of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atturk. In terms of the number of passengers served, the air hub ranks third in Europe, but in the near future it is planned to begin construction of new air gates, after which Ataturk Airport is planned to be closed. The owner of the air facility is the Turkish company TAV Airports, which over 20 years has invested more than $600 million in the infrastructure of the airport. For Turkish Airlines, which has national status, Ataturk Airport is the hub and main. Nearby is another heavenly harbor, named after Sabiha Gochken.

Airport Paris - Charles de Gaulle

The volume of passenger traffic per year - 65.8 million people. The second name of the airport is Roissy-Charles de Gaulle, it is located 25 km from the French capital. The opening date of the air hub is March 8, 1974, today Aéroport de Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle annually receives and sends 450 thousand flights. In terms of passenger traffic, the Paris airport is 2nd in Europe and 8th in the world, in terms of cargo traffic - 2nd in Europe and 12th in the world. The air gate is considered to be the home and main for the national airline Air France, its headquarters are also located here. It also hosts the hub of other major airlines - XL Airways France, FedEx Express and Delta Air Lines and low-cost carriers Vueling and easyJet. The managing and operating company is Aéroports de Paris. The easiest way to get from the airport to Paris is by rail, the cost of such a trip is 10 euros, other options are a bus or car. Near the airport there are 30 hotels of various categories, from five-star to budget.


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Heathrow Airport, London, UK

The volume of passenger traffic per year - 75 million people. The airport began its activity in 1929 and today is the second busiest in the world, accompanying about 480 thousand takeoffs and landings a year. The air hub is located 24 km from the British capital, includes five terminals for passengers and one for cargo, serves 90 airlines, is a hub for Virgin Atlantic Airways, British Airways. Amazing Fact: the location of the runway strictly from west to east makes it necessary for aircraft to take off and land directly over London. Another nuance - London Heathrow Airport is famous for its constant fogs and the low location of the NUM - only 25 meters. There are only two runways, both are asphalt, the length of the first is 3902 m, the second is 3660 m. During the period of work at the airport, 5 crashed aircraft, the total number of victims was 213 people.

Air travel is an indispensable mode of transport in the modern world. The airport is one of the most important engines economic development big city. New airports appear every year, and existing ones expand, trying to provide full-fledged service to an increased number of regular customers.

Many airline complexes in metropolitan areas are developing into full-fledged cities, as they provide transport links to all parts of the world with a variety of service options - from economy to business class, not to mention the many private flights.

For some time now, the largest airports have begun to grow on all sides with various infrastructure, turning into small cities. Near the airport there are companies for which great importance has fast interaction with foreign partners.

Airports cannot be classified on one basis.

The largest airport in the world is selected based on the following criteria:

  • Square.
  • Infrastructure around the airport itself.
  • The flow of passengers.

Airports major cities are located as close as possible to the branched transport hub. The purpose of this is to allow the tourist to reach their destination in the most convenient way for them.

The largest airport by area

The largest airport in the world by area - "Jamma King Fahd". This airport is located in Saudi Arabia. Its area is 78,000 hectares. It is noteworthy that the airport was already functioning in 1990 during the Gulf War, but it was officially opened only 9 years later.

Jamma King Fahd is the largest airport in the world by area.

The airport and nearby buildings were erected on the site where there used to be a military base. Despite the area, the airport is not popular with tourists. They prefer Bahrain airport. The reason for this is the inconvenient location of Jamma King Fahd, because a little more than 4 million passengers pass through this air hub a year.

The largest airport in the world has:

  • Parking for 4000 cars, including individual places for people with handicapped.
  • A mosque that can comfortably accommodate up to 2,000 people.
  • Two lanes.
  • Elevators and ramps that make it possible to use wheelchairs throughout the air hub.

This airport is notable for the fact that the Arabian king and his inner circle choose it for their flights.

The largest airport in terms of passenger traffic

Hartsfield-Jackson is the busiest airport not only in America, but globally. In 2016, its own record for congestion was broken, with more than 100 million passengers passing through it.

This is not the largest airport on the planet. It is relatively small in area - only 2000 hectares. Basically, the services of "Hartsfield-Jackson" are used by the Americans themselves, and not by visitors. The airport has not gained popularity among tourists, since its specialization is domestic flights. But there are also flights to South America, Asia, Europe, Africa.

Airport features:

  • 5 stripes.
  • Helipad.
  • 2 terminals.
  • Subway availability.

The largest airport in Europe

The French "Charles de Gaulle" is the greatest functioning airport in Europe, and in the global ranking it takes 3rd place. Its area is almost 33 sq. km, and together with the infrastructure that has grown around the airport building itself, this air complex is in no way inferior to a developed city.

The air hub is located 25 km from Paris, and the trip from the center of the capital to the airport takes no more than 30 minutes. More than 140 thousand tourists pass through Charles de Gaulle daily, and it cooperates with more than a hundred international airlines.

On the territory of the aviation complex are located:

  • Separate terminals for international flights and flights within the country of charter flights.
  • 2 railway stations.
  • Cafes, restaurants.
  • For passengers who are forced to wait for a flight at night, there are hotels on the territory of the complex. Rooms can be booked in advance.
  • Many shops, large shopping centers.
  • Information centers, service companies.

The main airport of France and all of Europe began its work in 1974. More than 60 million people pass through it every year.

Asia's largest airport

The undisputed leader in terms of the number of customers per year among Asian airports is Hong Kong. Every year, about 70 million passengers pass through these air gates.

Hong Kong opened in 1998 after 6 years of construction, thus becoming a replacement for the previously functioning Kai Tak. It provided flights to mainland China, to Eastern and South East Asia, thereby becoming the most important regional transport hub.


One of the largest airports is Hong Kong Airport, only Dubai Airport competes with it.

In addition to leadership in terms of congestion, Hong Kong is the absolute world leader in terms of the number of cargo flights. It works around the clock, and annually its employees handle more than 4 million tons of cargo.

In 2007, a second terminal and a large shopping center were opened in Hong Kong.

At the moment, plans are being developed to build additional terminal buildings, runways and expand the total area of ​​the airport. But the increase is associated with difficulties due to the characteristics of the territory and landscape: for this, it is necessary to build an artificial land layer in deep water.

The largest airport in Russia

Sheremetyevo is the largest airport in the entire Russian Federation. Its construction began in 1953. According to the plans of those years, Sheremetyevo was supposed to become an airfield for the Air Force Soviet Union. But, when the airport opened in 1959, it was waited out by the head of the USSR Khrushchev in civil aviation. The first flight was a Tu-104 arriving from Leningrad.

In 2013, the quality of passenger service at Sheremetyevo was recognized as the best in all of Europe. The high status of the airport was confirmed in 2017. About 35 million passengers pass through Sheremetyevo every year.

At the moment, the air complex includes:

  • 7 terminals, 6 of which are passenger terminals, the remaining one is cargo.
  • 2 stripes.
  • Developed infrastructure around the airport building.
  • Russian station transport company Aeroexpress.

The largest airports in the world

The largest airport in the world in terms of passenger flow is constantly competing with dozens of busy airlines.

Aviation complex "Shoudu"

Opened in the middle of the last century, Shoudu is located 20 km from the capital. This is the largest airport terminal in the country and one of the largest airports in the world in terms of passenger traffic. Due to the high workload of the Capital, a 3rd terminal was built, connected to the first two crossings.

"Shoudu" is an airpolis with business centers, a developed transport hub, shopping malls, restaurants and bank branches. The waiting rooms are equipped with chargers for phones, there is access to wireless Internet, and the toilets are equipped with separate rooms for mothers and newborns.

The Shoud has everything for people with disabilities. The number of parking spaces exceeds 7000.

But the Shoud has a big minus. According to the Forbes magazine rating compiled on the basis of official data, this is the second airport in the list of those with the largest number of delays and delays in flights.

Heathrow Airport

Nearly 75 million visitors pass through this London airport every year. It has 5 passenger terminals + cargo.

The site on which Heathrow is now located was used by air aviation during the First World War. But the construction of runways began only in 1944. Today it is one of the largest European international air terminals in the world.

Today, Heathrow cooperates with more than 90 airlines, including British Airways plc, the UK's largest international air carrier. Previously, it had 6 runways, but in last years runway length requirements have changed. As a result, only two lanes remained at Heathrow, and negotiations are underway to build a third.

Today, the problem of the location of the airport relative to London is relevant. Because of these features, pilots are forced to take off directly over London. At most airports in Europe, the location avoids such inconveniences.

In addition, the airport is overcrowded. It is designed to provide comfortable service for no more than 45 million passengers a year, which is one third less than the final figure. As a result, the airport is often overcrowded, with flight cancellations and delays not uncommon.

Tokyo

The second name is "Haneda". At first it was the main airport for the entire region, but now Narita Airport stands alongside it. But while Narita handles mostly international flights, Haneda specializes in domestic flights via Tokyo.

But in recent years, Haneda's work has also been based on sorties to South Korea, China, after which the airport received international status. It is planned that the number of flights outside the country will only grow.

In addition, there will be more regional and charter flights. Every year, 80 million people fly through Haneda Airport. This is the main hub of such well-known air carriers as Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airway. There are several train stations right in the airport building. Trains make several stops, including Tokyo.

Dubai airport

This international airport is located just 4 km from the city. It serves 60 million passengers annually, in 2015 it broke its own record with 78 million.

The airport was opened in 1960, and as a result of reconstruction in the 2000s, it was expanded. At the moment there are 3 passenger and 2 cargo terminals.

Emirates Airlines is based at the largest airport in the UAE.

O'Hara, Chicago

O'Hare is the largest hub of the American carrier United Airlines. The airport also holds the record for the number of runways: there are 7 of them in O'Hare.

According to passenger surveys and official information about flights it is one of the most unreliable not only in the USA but also in Canada. The presence of 4 working terminals does not affect the large percentage of delayed flights. To correct the problem of delays, the construction of two more terminal buildings is planned.

The congestion of the airport's schedule and flight cancellations bring problems to passengers, especially those flying with transfers in the other direction.

In 2005, the US federal government even placed restrictions on the airport to deal with flight cancellations and delays.

Prior to that, O'Hare owned the world's palm in terms of the number of takeoffs and landings. After the imposition of restrictions, this title was given to Hartsfield-Jackson, the description of which was already in this article.

The congestion situation is still a burning problem. O'Hare serves a large number of international flights, receives aircraft from more than 60 foreign airports, while accounting for more than 15% of flight cancellations throughout the country.

Despite the deplorable situation with flights, the airport has repeatedly been recognized as the best on the entire mainland.

Dallas/Fort Worth

Dallas/Fort Worth has 7 lanes and in 2006 was named the best cargo airport in the world. The airport is served by more than 150 air carriers, it is the main hub of American Airlines. Previously, it was the main hub of the Delta Air Lines carrier, but in 2005, in order to avoid competition with other major companies, it was transferred to Los Angeles Airport.

The airport has its own ZIP code, it has utilities and a post office. The designation received by the airport from the US post office equates it to locality. A bus operates between the airport building and the suburban railway station.

The airport has 5 terminals. In the future, expansion of the airport is possible, and Dallas/Fort Worth could own up to 13 terminals. Expansion gates could increase to more than 200, but changes of this magnitude are not planned for the near future.

During the construction of the terminals, the task was to minimize the distance between the shuttle and the aircraft. As a result, the distances between the exits were too large. To get from one particular exit to another, it may be necessary to walk the entire length of the building. There are no ways to reduce the distance.

In 2005, movement around the airport became more convenient thanks to the installation of the SkyLink passenger transportation system. This system replaced a slower one, which also did not meet all safety requirements.

Sukarno-Hatta

This is the main Indonesian airport on the island of Java near Jakarta. It is developing dynamically: in 2008 it served 32 million people, and already in 2012 it transported 58 million tourists. Flights are carried out both within Indonesia and abroad. You can hear from locals about Chengkarengo Airport. This is the unofficial name of Sukarno-Hatta.

The airport began its work in 1985. To deliver passengers from terminal to terminal, a bus runs between them. The distance between the terminals is 1.5 km.

Until 2017, the airport charged the cost of its services upon departure. This payment was then included in the ticket price. The fee is not charged to the passenger separately, even in the case of a flight by a budget company.

To date, there are 3 passenger terminals, and there are plans to build a 4th. There is a bus between them. Terminal 1 is only used for flights within Indonesia. 2nd deals with international flights. The third is a hub for AirAsia airlines.

Frankfurt Airport

This is one of the largest airports on the continent, located just 12 km from the heart of the city. Frankfurt am Main Airport started operating in 1936 and serves more than 60 million people every year.

The airport has 4 lanes and 3 terminals: 2 large and 1 for VIP clients. A free shuttle bus runs between the terminals every 10 minutes. It is also possible to travel on the Skyline monorail.

This is a huge airport, the location of the terminal halls can confuse the inexperienced traveler. Halls A, B, C and Z are located in T1; in T2 - Concourses D E. Terminal 3 is intended mainly for customers with first class tickets.

At the airport free and unlimited wireless Internet, necessary information connection to which is described in the airport manual. There are 24-hour cafes available in both major terminals. Coupons are valid, for which you need to come to the institution before 19:00.

Frankfurt am Main Airport is adapted for a comfortable overnight stay. This is a secure place where the halls are constantly supervised by security personnel. They check the documents and tickets of suspicious individuals and sleeping people to exclude the possibility of homeless and fugitive criminals entering the airport building. There is a hotel in terminal 1.

The largest airport in the world loses to Frankfurt am Main in at least one way: showers are available here for a nominal fee.

There are several ways to get from one terminal to another:

  • Inside the building, terminals 1 and 2 are connected by a free train. The trip will take only two minutes. Trains depart with a maximum break of 3 minutes, making several stops in different halls. The train connects the first 2 terminals.
  • If the train option is not suitable for some reason, a free bus runs between the terminals. It leaves every 10 minutes, and arrives at the place on average after 7 minutes.
  • Travelers can use the Terminal Express car services free of charge.

If the passenger has no more than half an hour before transferring to another flight, you can use the expressway at the checkpoint.

Additional services available to passengers while waiting:


It is impossible to single out the largest airport on the planet if no criterion has been chosen. As you know, the largest airport in terms of area is unremarkable in terms of the number of passengers per year.

Article formatting: Vladimir the Great

Video about the largest airports in the world

top 10 largest airports:

The air gate of any state is its business card. Therefore, the governments of many countries do not spare money for the construction of truly colossal airports equipped with the latest technology. Such objects give jobs to thousands of people, shops, hotels and other infrastructure located inside bring considerable additional profit.

In our today's Top 5 are the most major airports peace. There are no Russians among them yet, although the largest Moscow airport, Domodedovo, is rapidly increasing its turnover.

5. Tokyo Haneda International Airport (Japan, Tokyo)

Initially, this airport was intended for domestic flights, while the international airport was hosted by the second metropolitan airport Narita. However, in recent years it has been transferred here most Asian airlines, making Tokyo International Airport one of the busiest in Asia. The annual passenger traffic is about 70 million people.

4. Heathrow (Great Britain, London)

The international air gates of the British capital annually receive 70 million passengers. Heathrow is the busiest airport in Europe. By the way, the airport is not very well located - the runways ended up in a lowland, where the famous London fog often gathers. True, in the event of a flight delay, passengers can pass the time in one of.

3. Hartsfield-Jackson (USA, Atlanta)

The busiest airport in the United States receives 90 million passengers annually. All six halls of the airport are connected by an automated passenger transportation system - these are comfortable electric trains that do not require the presence of a driver. By the way, in the United States, airplanes are the most popular mode of transport for long-distance travel. Local airlines set the cost of the flight, comparable to the cost of ground transportation.

2. Shoudou (China, Beijing)

The second largest airport in the world began its work before the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Despite the relatively small occupied area of ​​1.7 square kilometers, Capital Airport receives more than a thousand flights daily. The airport is equipped with the latest technology. Passengers have access to high-speed wi-fi internet, and the sorting of luggage for millions of people takes place fully automatically on the underground floor of the airport. The "zest" of the airport is a winter garden built in the waiting room, and repeating the gardens of the imperial palace.

1. Al Maktoum (UAE, Dubai)

The $33 billion project began operations in 2010. Currently, the airport is under development and after the completion of all work, it will certainly become the largest in the world. By 2015 throughput Al Maktoum Airport will be 160 million people a year. The area of ​​the airport, together with infrastructure facilities, is about 140 thousand square kilometers, which is not much less area the state of Liechtenstein. Al Maktoum is one of the few airports capable of handling the world's largest passenger liners Airbus A380.

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