Biggest Airport in the World

So how do we decide which is the biggest airport in the world? There are basically two options. The first is to take the phrase literally, and find out the biggest airport in terms of size, and second is to understand the concept of 'biggest' or 'largest', and find out the airport which handles the maximum traffic, both in terms of passenger as well as cargo. Though most of you may find the first option perfect, there are individuals who believe that taking into consideration the 'traffic' handled by the airport, is a much better way to get a rough idea of its efficiency.

Biggest Airport in the World in Terms of Traffic Handled

Among the various measures to determine which is the biggest airport in the world, taking into consideration the traffic that airport is subjected to is perhaps the most popular one. There are quite a few contenders vying to get to the top spot in the list of biggest airports in the world in terms of traffic size. Sometimes you will observe that the phrase 'busiest airports in the world' is used interchangeably to refer to the biggest airports in terms of traffic handling. Among the contenders vying for the top spot, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, boasts about being the world's busiest airport in terms of traffic movement, (flight landings and take-offs), as well as passenger traffic, (total number of passengers). On the other hand, the Memphis International Airport in Tennessee, United States, boasts of being the busiest airport in terms of cargo traffic, (freight and mail).

Top 10 Biggest Airports in the World in Terms of Traffic

Rank	Airport	Location
1	Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport	Georgia, United States
2	London Heathrow Airport	Greater London, United Kingdom
3	Beijing Capital International Airport	Beijing, China
4	O'Hare International Airport	Illinois, United States
5	Tokyo International Airport	Tokyo, Japan
6	Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport	Île-de-France, France
7	Los Angeles International Airport	California, United States
8	Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport	Texas, United States
9	Frankfurt Airport	Frankfurt, Germany
10	Denver International Airport	Colorado, United States

Biggest Airport in the World by Area

The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta may be the largest airport in the world in terms of traffic, but the credit for being the world's biggest airport in terms of area, goes to King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia. The airport spanning over an area of 485 sq miles, is located near the Dammam - the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. This airport was built by Bechtel Corporation, the largest engineering firm in the United States. The catchment area of King Fahd International Airport spans over the entire Eastern region of the nation, which has a population of approximately 2 million. Initially used for military purpose, the General Authority of Civil Aviation of Saudi Arabia opened the airport for commercial use on November 28, 1999. Undoubtedly the largest airport in the world, King Fahd International Airport has six level passenger terminals, spread over an area of 327,000 sq meters. It is the hub for two of the most prominent airlines in Saudi Arabia - the Sama Airlines and the Saudi Arabian Airlines.

This was some brief information about the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which is the largest airport in the world in terms of traffic handling, and King Fahd International Airport, which is the biggest airport in the world by size. Records, they say, are made to be broken. Taking that into consideration, we just have to wait and watch when a new airport dislodges both these airports from the number one position.