The world's busiest city airport systems by passenger traffic are measured by total number of passengers from all airports within a city or metropolitan area combined. London, with six commercial airports serving its metropolitan area, is the busiest city airport system in the world, although HartsfieldâJackson Atlanta International Airport is the world's busiest individual airport.
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đ List of busiest city airport systems by passenger traffic in the context of London
London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of 9.1 million people in 2024. Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 15.1Â million. London stands on the River Thames in southeast England, at the head of a 50-mile (80Â km) tidal estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000Â years. Its ancient core and financial centre, the City of London, was founded by the Romans as Londinium and has retained its medieval boundaries. The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has been the centuries-long host of the national government and parliament. London grew rapidly in the 19th century, becoming the world's largest city at the time. Since the 19th century the name "London" has referred to the metropolis around the City of London, historically split between the counties of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent and Hertfordshire, which since 1965 has largely comprised the administrative area of Greater London, governed by 33 local authorities and the Greater London Authority.
As one of the world's major global cities, London exerts a strong influence on world art, entertainment, fashion, commerce, finance, education, healthcare, media, science, technology, tourism, transport and communications. London is Europe's largest city economy and one of the world's major financial centres. London hosts Europe's largest concentration of higher education institutions, comprising over 50 universities and colleges and enrolling more than 500,000 students as at 2023. It is home to several of the world's leading academic institutions: Imperial College London, internationally recognised for its excellence in natural and applied sciences, and University College London (UCL), a comprehensive research-intensive university, consistently rank among the top ten globally. Other notable institutions include King's College London (KCL), highly regarded in law, humanities and health sciences; the London School of Economics (LSE), globally prominent in social sciences and economics; and specialised institutions such as the Royal College of Art (RCA), Royal Academy of Music (RAM), the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and London Business School (LBS). It is the most-visited city in Europe and has the world's busiest city airport system. The London Underground is the world's oldest rapid transit system.
In this Dossier
- â Core Definition: List of busiest city airport systems by passenger traffic
- đ List of busiest city airport systems by passenger traffic in the context of London
- List of busiest city airport systems by passenger traffic in the context of World's busiest airports by passenger traffic
- List of busiest city airport systems by passenger traffic in the context of List of busiest airports in the United Kingdom
List of busiest city airport systems by passenger traffic in the context of World's busiest airports by passenger traffic
The world's busiest airports by passenger traffic are measured by total passengers provided by the Airports Council International, defined as passengers enplaned plus passengers deplaned plus direct-transit passengers. The world's busiest airport is HartsfieldâJackson Atlanta International Airport in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, which has been the world's busiest airport every year since 1998 with the exception of 2020, when its passenger traffic dipped for a year due to travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Atlanta regained the top position in 2021, and has held it since. Alternatively, London has the world's busiest city airport system by passenger count.
As of 2024, the United States has the most airports in the top 50 list, with 15 (16 in 2023), following by China having 12 (10 in 2023), while India and Spain have two. In terms of regions, North America has 17 airports in the top 50 (18 in 2023), followed by East Asia with 14 (12 in 2023), Europe with 8 (same as in 2023), Southeast Asia with 5 (6 in 2023), West Asia with three (same as 2023), South Asia with two (same as 2023), and South America with one (same as 2023).
List of busiest city airport systems by passenger traffic in the context of List of busiest airports in the United Kingdom
This is a list of the busiest airports in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, and Isle of Man ranked by total passenger traffic, compiled from Civil Aviation Authority data from 2006 to 2024. For some years the figures also show total aircraft movements and cargo volume handled at each airport. For a complete list of UK airports, see List of airports in the United Kingdom and the British Crown Dependencies.
The United Kingdom, an island country, is home to many of Europe's largest and busiest airports. London Heathrow, which handles over 83 million passengers annually, is the largest airport in the UK. London serves as the largest aviation hub in the world by passenger traffic, with six international airports, handling over 177 million passengers in 2024, more than any other city (List of busiest city airport systems by passenger traffic). London's second-busiest airport, London Gatwick, was until 2016 the world's busiest single-runway airport. Manchester Airport is the United Kingdom's third-busiest airport. London Stansted and London Luton are the fourth and fifth busiest airports, respectively.