Over the past few years, we have seen the ranking of busiest airports change many times, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are several indicators to check this: total number of passengers, number of departing or departing passengers, capacity. OAG examines this monthly and ranks airports based on the total number of seats available.
Here we take a look at the top five airports based on international seat capacity (excluding domestic flights) in November. For each of these airports, we also list the top three routes based on total available seats in November. Sources of information are: Kirium.
1 Dubai International Airport (DXB)
Number of available seats: 4,805,790
Busiest routes: Dubai – Riyadh, Dubai – London Heathrow, Dubai – Jeddah
According to OAG results, Dubai International Airport (DXB) is the busiest airport in the world for international flights. The facility’s available seating capacity for November is 4,805,790. Dubai also took the top spot in October, with the company ranking it top overall for 2022 as a whole.
Photo: Kretl | Shutterstock
Of course, Dubai is a major hub for international flights and Emirates has a global hub-and-spoke strategy in Dubai.
OAG also examines other capacity data. If you look at all available seats, including domestic flights, Dubai is no longer in the top spot. Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) takes this place globally, with an overall available seat count of 5,050,064, with Dubai in second place.
2 London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Number of available seats: 3,778,762
Busiest routes: London Heathrow – New York JFK, London Heathrow – Dubai, London Heathrow – Dublin
Unsurprisingly, London Heathrow comes in second place. There were 3,778,762 seats available at London Heathrow Airport in November. OAG’s data shows a huge gap between Heathrow, which has more than 1 million seats, and Dubai, which ranks first. Although Heathrow Airport maintains his second place (it held the same position in October), OAG notes that this capacity has decreased by his 5%. This is primarily due to British and European airlines moving to winter schedules.
Photo: Jarek Kilian | Shutterstock
Heathrow Airport maintained its position as Europe’s busiest airport in 2022 after suffering a downturn due to the pandemic. We also found that it maintained this position in the first quarter of 2023. Remarkably, passenger numbers in the first quarter of 2023 increased by 74.2% compared to the first quarter of 2022. – Shows exactly how much flight activity has slowed down.
3 Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)
Number of vacant seats: 3,157,076 seats
Busiest routes: Singapore – Kuala Lumpur, Singapore – Bangkok, Singapore – Jakarta
The increasing status of some Asian airports is a key trend identified by OAG. In November 2023, Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) took his third place with 3,157,076 seats. Last month it was in 5th place. This increase can be attributed to a reduction in seat availability at some European airports. Singapore Changi Airport only operates international flights. It has long been an important hub in Asia for Singapore Airlines and other airlines. It ranked third on the OAG list, regaining its pre-pandemic (2019) position.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
It is famous for being used by many travelers (including myself) for transit. The airport has extensive shopping and leisure facilities, including a cinema and several outdoor gardens. Apart from the terminal, there is also a stunning jewel building with gardens and an indoor waterfall.
Four Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN)
Number of available seats: 3,098,779
Busiest routes: Seoul – Osaka Kansai, Seoul – Tokyo Narita, Seoul – Bangkok
Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) is located just behind Singapore Changi Airport with 3,098,779 seats available. Since then, the ranking has similarly increased due to a decline in production capacity in Europe. In October, it was 6th place. Remarkably, however, the South Korean airport has now moved up from his fifth place in 2019.
Photo: Commenton | Shutterstock
Changi in Singapore and Incheon in Seoul are both interesting cases in the overall rankings. Although both airports rank highly for international seat availability, they are not in the top 10 for overall seat capacity. Other Asian airports, such as Tokyo Haneda (HND) in 3rd place (4,425,367 available seats) and Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) in 7th place (3,636,625 available seats), benefit from extensive domestic networks. The overall carrying capacity is much better.
Five Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS)
Number of vacant seats: 3,013,454 seats
Busiest routes: Amsterdam – London Heathrow, Amsterdam – Barcelona, Amsterdam – Dublin
Finally, on our list, Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) ranks 5th with 3,013,454 international seats available. OAG blames the sharp increase in Asian airports on declines in Europe, particularly Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). Seat numbers in November were down 11% from October in Amsterdam, 9% in Paris and even lower (13%) in Frankfurt.
Photo: Aerovista Luchtfotografie I Shutterstock
Once again, if you look at the overall picture (including domestic), things are very different. Amsterdam ranks fifth in Europe (with 3,013,854 seats) after London Heathrow, Istanbul, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt.
So far, we’ve taken a quick look at the latest November data from OAG and Cirium. There is much to discuss in more detail about the world’s airports and capacity. Feel free to discuss in the comments section below.
Source: OAG, Kirium
