The world’s one hundred busiest airports during the year 2000 are listed in descending volume of traffic.
1. William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is located ten miles from downtown Atlanta, Georgia. In 2000, it was the world’s busiest airport, serving 80,171,036 passengers. Approximately 2,400 flights fly into and out of Hartsfield Atlanta every day. The 3,750-acre airport serves as the main hub and corporate headquarters for Delta Air Lines.
2. Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) is located eighteen miles from downtown Chicago, Illinois. In 2000, it served 72,135,887 passengers. O’Hare encompasses 7,700 acres and serves as United Air Lines’ main hub. O’Hare’s three-letter airport code, ORD, reflects the fact that the airport was originally called Orchard Field. The Chicago city council renamed the airport in 1949 in honor of Lieutenant Edward O’Hare, a young U.S. Navy pilot who was killed in World War II.
3. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is located fourteen miles to the west of downtown Los Angeles, California. In 2000, it served 68,477,689 passengers. LAX covers 3,500 acres.
4. Heathrow Airport (LHR) is located fifteen miles west of central London, England. The average trip between the airport and central London on the Underground (subway) takes fifty to sixty minutes. In 2000, it served 64,607,185 passengers. Ninety airlines operate an average of 1,250 flights daily into and out of the airport. Heathrow’s busiest routes are New York, Paris, Amsterdam, and Dublin. The airport’s World Wide Web site notes that some of the strangest items to pass through its Lost and Found office have been a glass eye, a suitcase full of dead fish, and a false leg.
5. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is located in the cities of Euless, Grapevine, Irving, and Coppell, Texas. The airport is eighteen miles away from downtown Dallas and twenty-three miles from downtown Fort Worth. In 2000, it served 60,687,122 passengers. This mammoth airport, the second largest in the United States and the third largest in the world, covers 29.8 square miles and comprises 18,076 acres. American Airlines maintains its main hub here.
6. Tokyo International Airport (HND), located at Haneda, Japan, is named an international airport even though only one international airline flies there: China Airlines, with flights to Taipei and Honolulu. All other international flights arrive at and depart from Narita (the Tokyo New International Airport). However, Haneda is Tokyo’s main domestic travel hub. On average, 632 flights take off from Haneda every day. In 2000, it served 56,402,206 passengers.
7. Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is located twelve kilometers (eight miles) southwest of the center of Frankfurt, Germany. In 2000, it served 49,369,429 passengers. It was Europe’s second busiest passenger airport after Heathrow, and Europe’s busiest airport for cargo, processing 1.71 million metric tons. Frankfurt Airport is also Germany’s single largest workplace, employing approximately 62,000 workers. Frankfurt handles roughly 1,250 flights a day.
8. Charles de Gaulle/Roissy International Airport (CDG) is located twenty-three kilometers (fourteen miles) northeast of downtown Paris, France. In 2000, it served 48,240,137 passengers. It was the third-busiest airport in Europe, after Heathrow and Frankfurt.
9. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is located fourteen miles south of San Francisco, California. In 2000, it served 41,173,983 passengers. Seventy-four airlines serve SFO, including thirty-four international airlines. The largest two airlines flying into SFO are United, with 51 percent of the market share, and American Airlines, with 6 percent.
10. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) is located fifteen kilometers (nine miles) southwest of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In 2000, it served 39,60,589 passengers. It was also the fourth-busiest European airport, after Heathrow, Frankfurt, and Charles de Gaulle/Roissy.
11. Denver International Airport (DEN) is located twenty-three miles northeast of downtown Denver, Colorado. The airport comprises fifty-three square miles of land, twice the size of Manhattan Island, and is larger than the cities of Boston, Miami, or San Francisco. In 2000, it served 38,748,781 passengers. On average, 1,371 flights pass through this airport every day. United Air Lines maintains one of its hubs here.
12. McCarran International Airport (LAS) is located one mile from the south end of the Las Vegas strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2000, it served 36,856,186 passengers. McCarran International Airport is named after Nevada senator Paul McCarran, who worked to pass the first civil aviation laws in the United States in the 1930′s.
13. Kimpo International Airport (SEL) is located seventeen kilometers (eleven miles) to the west of downtown Seoul, South Korea. In 2000, it served 36,727,124 passengers.
14. Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is located sixteen miles south of downtown Minneapolis and twelve miles south of downtown St. Paul, Minnesota. In 2000, it served 36,688,159 passengers. The airport averages 1,480 flights a day. Northwest Airlines maintains one of its hubs here, and Northwest flights make up almost 77 percent of MSP’s total flights.
15. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) is located in the center of Phoenix, Arizona. In 2000, it served 35,889,933 passengers. Sky Harbor averages 1,300 daily flights and covers 3,000 acres of land.
16. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) is located twenty miles to the southwest of down-town Detroit, Michigan. In2000, it served35,535,080 passengers. Detroit Metro Airport averages more than 1,500 landings and takeoffs daily. The airport encompasses approximately 6,700 acres. Northwest Airlines also maintains one of its hubs at DTW.
17. Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is located twenty-three miles north of downtown Houston, Texas. In 2000, it served 35,246,176 passengers. The airport comprises more than 9,000 acres in area. Continental Airlines maintains a hub at Bush Intercontinental, operating five hundred flights daily. When the airport opened in 1969, it was known as Houston Intercontinental Airport. The airport’s three-letter designation (IAH) is derived from its original name. The airport was renamed in 1997 in honor of former President George Bush, a longtime Houston resident.
18. Newark International Airport (EWR) is located two miles south of Newark, New Jersey, and about sixteen miles southwest of midtown Manhattan. In 2000, it served 34,194,788 passengers. The airport covers 2,027 acres.
19. Miami International Airport (MIA) is located nine miles west of Miami, Florida. In 2000, Miami served 33,569,625 passengers. The airport comprises 3,230 acres.
20. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) is located in southeastern Queens County, New York, on Jamaica Bay. It is approximately fifteen miles from midtown Manhattan. In 2000, JFK served 32,779,428 passengers.
The airport consists of 4,930 acres. The airport was originally named New York International Airport at its dedication in 1948; it was renamed on December 24, 1963, to honor the slain U.S. president.
21. Madrid/Barajas International Airport (MAD) is located in Barajas, Spain, thirteen kilometers (eight miles) northeast of central Madrid. In 2000, Madrid/Barajas served 32,765,820 passengers.
22. Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) is located in Chek Lap Kok, China, forty kilometers (twenty-four miles) from central Hong Kong. The Chek Lap Kok airport replaced the old terminal at Kai Tak in 1998. In 2000, Hong Kong International served 32,746,737 passengers. The airport extends over 1,255 hectares (3,100 acres).
23. Gatwick Airport (LGW) is located twenty-eight miles south of London, England. In 2000, Gatwick served 32,056,942 passengers. Gatwick covers 1,678 acres. Gatwick is the world’s busiest single-runway airport. The name Gatwick dates back to 1241, when Richard de Warwick deeded the land on which the airport currently stands to John de Gatwick.
24. Orlando International Airport (MCO) is located nine miles southeast of downtown Orlando, Florida. In 2000, Orlando International served 30,822,580 passengers. Orlando International’s total area comprises almost fifteen thousand acres, making it the third-largest airport in the United States. The airport code MCO comes from the former McCoy Air Force Base, where Orlando International now stands.
25. Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL) is located thirteen miles northwest of downtown St. Louis, Missouri. In 2000, Lambert-St. Louis served 30,546,698 passengers. Lambert occupies approximately two thousand acres of land. In 1999, Lambert hosted 1,377 daily landings and takeoffs.
26. Bangkok International Airport (BKK) is located approximately twenty-four kilometers (fifteen miles) north of Bangkok, Thailand, in an area called Don Muang. In 2000, Bangkok International served 29,621,898 passengers.
27. Lester B. Pearson International Airport (YYZ) is located sixteen miles northwest of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2000, it served 28,820,326 passengers. The airport covers 4,430 acres and is named after former Canadian prime minister Lester Pearson.
28. Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) is located twenty kilometers (thirteen miles) northeast of Singapore. In 2000, it served 28,618,200 passengers.
29. Seattle/Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is located twelve miles south of downtown Seattle and twenty miles north of Tacoma, Washington. In 2000, it served 28,404,312 passengers. The airport covers 2,500 acres.
30. Logan International Airport (BOS) is located in East Boston, Massachusetts, four miles northeast of downtown Boston. In 2000, it served 27,412,926 passengers. The airport covers 2,400 acres and is named after Edward Lawrence Logan, former lieutenant general of Massachusetts.
31. New Tokyo International Airport (NRT), better known as Narita Airport, is located in the city of Narita, Japan, in Chiba Prefecture, sixty-five kilometers (forty miles) east of central Tokyo. It takes a little over an hour to get to the airport by train from central Tokyo. In 2000, Narita served 27,389,915 passengers.
32. Leonardo da Vinci/Fiumicino International Airport (FCO) is located twenty-six kilometers (sixteen miles) southwest of central Rome, Italy. In 2000, it served 25,921,886 passengers.
33. Orly International Airport (ORY) is located fourteen kilometers (nine miles) south of central Paris, France. In2000, it served 25,399,111 passengers. The air port covers 3,700 acres.
34. Fiorello LaGuardia International Airport (LGA) is located in the borough of Queens, New York City. It borders Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay. LaGuardia is eight miles from midtown Manhattan. In 2000, it served 25,233,889 passengers. LaGuardia is a fairly small airport, consisting of only 680 acres. It is named after the former mayor of New York City, Fiorello LaGuardia. LaGuardia can also claim another dubious distinction: in 2000, this airport had 61,120 delayed flights, more than any other U.S. airport.
35. Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is located seven miles from downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2000, it served 24,900,621 passengers. The airport covers 2,302 acres.
36. Sydney Kingsford-Smith International Airport (SYD) is located nine kilometers (six miles) south of the central business district of Sydney, Australia. In 2000, it served 23,553,878 passengers. The airport covers 881 hectares (2,177 acres) and is named after Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith, a famous Australian aviator.
37. Munich International Airport (MUC) is located twenty-eight kilometers (eighteen miles) northeast of downtown Munich, Germany. In 2000, it served 23,125,872 passengers. The airport covers 1,500 hectares
(3,700 acres).
38. Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) is located seven miles west of downtown Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2000, it served 23,073,894 passengers. The airport is named after former Charlotte Mayor Ben Elbert Douglas, Sr.
39. Honolulu International Airport (HNL) is located three miles west of downtown Honolulu, and seven miles from Waikiki, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. In 2000, it served 22,660,349 passengers. The airport covers 2,200 acres.
40. Zurich International Airport (ZRH) is located twelve kilometers (eight miles) north of downtown Zurich, Switzerland. In 2000, it served 22,649,539 passengers. The airport covers 782 hectares (1,932 acres) and averages 839 takeoffs and landings a day.
41. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) is located thirteen miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2000, it served 22,537,525 passengers. Delta Air Lines maintains its second-largest U.S. hub here.
42. Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) is located twenty-eight kilometers (eighteen miles) northeast of the center of Beijing, China. In 2000, it served 21,659,077 passengers. Its international airport code, PEK, comes from a time when Beijing was transliterated into English as Peking.
43. Brussels International Airport (BRU) is located thirteen kilometers (eight miles) northeast of downtown Brussels, Belgium. In 2000, it served 21,604,478 passengers. The airport covers 3,706 acres.
44. Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX) is located ten kilometers (six miles) east of downtown Mexico City, Mexico. In 2000, it served 21,042,610 passengers. The airport covers 780 hectares (1,927 acres).
45. Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) is located forty-five kilometers (twenty-nine miles) northeast of central Milan, Italy. In 2000, it served 20,716,815 passengers.
46. Kansai International Airport (KIX) is located fifty kilometers (thirty-one miles) southwest of Osaka, Japan. Even though the airport only opened in 1994, by 2000, it served 20,472,060 passengers.
47. Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) is located in Loudon and Fairfax Counties, Virginia, approximately twenty-six miles to the west of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2000, it served 19,971,449 passengers. The airport covers 11,000 acres and is named after John Foster Dulles, who served as U.S. secretary of state under Dwight D. Eisenhower.
48. Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) is located ten miles from downtown Salt Lake City. In 2000, it served 19,900,810 passengers. Delta Air Lines maintains one of its hubs here.
49. Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is located sixteen miles northwest of downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 2000, it served 19,813,174 passengers. The airport covers 12,900 acres, making it the fourth-largest U.S. airport. In fact, the airport itself is twice the size of downtown Pittsburgh.
50. Barcelona International Airport (BCN) is located twleve kilometers (eight miles) southwest of central Barcelona, Spain. In 2000, it served 19,797,135 passengers.
51. Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) is located eight miles southwest of Baltimore, Maryland, and thirty miles northeast of Washington, D.C. In 2000, it served 19,602,856 passengers. The airport covers 3,158 acres and hosts approximately eight hundred daily takeoffs and landings.
52. Palma de Mallorca International Airport (PMI) is located eleven kilometers (seven miles) southeast of Palma de Mallorca, Spain. In 2000, it served 19,401,807 passengers.
53. Manchester International Airport (MAN) is located sixteen kilometers (ten miles) from central Manchester, England. In 2000, it served 18,804,322 passengers.
54. Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport (TPE) is located in Tayuan, Taiwan, forty kilometers (twenty-five miles) southwest of central Taipei. In 2000, it served 18,681,418 passengers. The airport covers 1,223 hectares (3,022 acres) and is named after General Chiang Kai-Shek, a Nationalist Army leader who unsuccessfully fought the Communists for control of China. In 1949, he and his Kuomintang party fled to Taiwan.
55. Arlanda Airport (ARN) is located forty-two kilometers (twenty-six miles) north of the center of Stockholm, Sweden. In 2000, it served 18,446,309 passengers.
56. Copenhagen International Airport (CPH) is located in Kastrup, Denmark, a town on the island of Amager, eight kilometers (five miles) southeast of central Copenhagen. In 2000, it served 18,294,387 passengers. The airport covers 11 square kilometers.
57. Melbourne Airport (MEL) is located twenty-two kilometers (fourteen miles) northwest of the city of Melbourne, Australia. In 2000, it served 16,442,312 passengers. The airport covers 2,369 hectares (5,854 acres).
58. Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is located sixteen kilometers (eleven miles) from downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In 2000, it served 16,245,209 passengers.
59. Tampa International Airport (TPA) is located six miles west of Tampa, Florida. In 2000, it served 16,041,486 passengers. The airport covers 3,300 acres.
60. Diisseldorf International Airport (DUS) is located eight kilometers (five miles) north of the center of Dusseldorf, Germany. In 2000, it served 16,028,038 passengers.
61. Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL) is located in Broward County, Florida, five miles from downtown Fort Lauderdale. In 2000, it served 15,856,663 passengers. The airport operates an average of 558 flights daily.
62. Ataturk International Airport (IST) is located twenty-four kilometers (fifteen miles) west of downtown Istanbul, Turkey. In 2000, it served 15,830,526 passengers.
63. San Diego International Airport-Lindbergh Field (SAN) is located two miles north of downtown San Diego, California. In 2000, it served 15,826,221 passengers. It is one of the smallest major airports in the United States, occupying a mere 474 acres. The airport has a single runway.
64. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is located six miles south of Washington, D.C. In 2000, it served 15,724,613 passengers. The airport sits on 860 acres: 733 on land, and 127 underwater. Congress renamed this airport in February, 1998, to honor the former U.S. president.
65. Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) is located fifty kilometers (thirty-one miles) south of central Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In 2000, it served 15,648,029 passengers.
66. Chicago Midway Airport (MDW) is located ten miles southwest of downtown Chicago, Illinois. In 2000, it served 15,591,487 passengers.
67. Sao Paulo Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) is located thirty kilometers (nineteen miles) northeast of the center of Sao Paulo, Brazil. In 2000, it served 14,218,788 passengers.
68. Oslo Airport Gardermoen (OSL) is located fifty-three kilometers (thirty-three miles) northeast of the center of Oslo, Norway. In 2000, it served 14,214,554 passengers.
69. Dublin Airport (DUB) is located eight miles (eleven kilometers) north of the city center of Dublin, Ireland. In 2000, it served 13,843,528 passengers.
70. Portland International Airport (PDX) is located ten miles northeast of the city of Portland, Oregon. In 2000, it served 13,790,115 passengers. The airport covers 3,229 acres.
71. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) is located ten miles southeast of downtown Cleveland,Ohio. In2000, it served 13,288,353 passengers. Continental and Southwest Airlines each maintain hubs here.
72. San Jose International Airport (SJC) is located two miles northeast of downtown San Jose, California. In 2000, it served 13,096,355 passengers.
73. Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) is located twelve kilometers (eight miles) south of the center of Manila, Philippines. In 2000, it served 12,764,916 passengers. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino was a Philippine senator. A harsh critic of Ferdinand Marcos’s regime, he was assassinated in 1983. His widow, Corazon Aquino, went on to become the nation’s first female president.
74. Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) is located fifteen kilometers (nine miles) west of the center of Shanghai, China. In 2000, it served 12,354,676 passengers.
75. Dubai International Airport (DXB) is located five kilometers (three miles) southeast of the center of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In 2000, it served 12,320,660 passengers. Dubai is the busiest airport in the Middle East.
76. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM), formerly called Sahar International Airport, is located thirty kilometers (nineteen miles) north ofMumbai, India, the city formerly called Bombay. The airport has two terminals, twenty-five kilometers (fifteen miles) apart: the international terminal is called Sahar; the domestic terminal is called Santa Cruz. In 2000, it served 12,043,204 passengers.
77. Wien-Schwechat (Vienna) International Airport (VIE) is located eighteen kilometers (eleven miles) southeast of the center of Vienna, Austria. In 2000, it served 11,939,571 passengers.
78. Kansas City International Airport (MCI) is located fifteen miles north of downtown Kansas City, Missouri. In 2000, it served 11,910,654 passengers. The airport covers ten thousand acres. While the airport is sometimes referred to by its acronym, KCI, its international airport code is actually MCI, which stands for Mid-Continent International.
79. London Stansted Airport (STN) is located fifty kilometers (thirty-one miles) northeast of the center of London. In 2000, it served 11,874,894 passengers. Stansted is a single-runway airport.
80. Brisbane Airport (BNE) is located thirteen kilometers (eight miles) northeast of central Brisbane, Australia. In 2000, it served 11,774,135 passengers. The airport covers 2,700 hectares (6,672 acres) and averages 424 landings and takeoffs daily.
81. Memphis International Airport (MEM) is located eight miles south of downtown Memphis, Tennessee. In 2000, it served 11,769,213 passengers. The airport features an Elvis Presley gift shop.
82. Johannesburg International Airport (JNB) is located twenty-four kilometers (fifteen miles) northeast of downtown Johannesburg, South Africa. In 2000, it served 11,680,598 passengers. It is also Africa’s busiest airport.
83. Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) is located twenty-six kilometers (sixteen miles) northwest of the center of Moscow, Russia. In 2000, it served 10,828,178 passengers. The airport covers 970 hectares (2,397 acres). The international and domestic terminals are separated by a distance of fifteen miles.
84. Oakland International Airport (OAK) is located eight miles from downtown Oakland, California, directly across the bay from San Francisco. In 2000, it served 10,620,798 passengers.
85. King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) is located thirty kilometers (nineteen miles) south of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In 2000, it served 10,603,060 passengers.
86. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) is located at Cengkareng, Tangerang, Indonesia, twenty kilometers (thirteen miles) northwest of central Jakarta. In 2000, it served 10,442,993 passengers.
87. Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) is located in Wake County, North Carolina. It lies ten miles northwest of Raleigh, ten miles southeast of Durham, and seventeen miles east of Chapel Hill. In 2000, it served 10,440,561 passengers. The airport spans five thousand acres.
88. Tegel Airport (TXL) is located eight kilometers (five miles) northwest of central Berlin, Germany. In 2000, it served 10,343,630 passengers.
89. Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL) is located nineteen kilometers (twelve miles) north of the center of Helsinki, Finland. In 2000, it served 10,014,873 passengers.
90. Fuhlsbuttel Airport (HAM) is located ten kilometers (six miles) from the center of Hamburg, Germany. In
2000, it served 9,949,269 passengers.
91. New Orleans International Airport (MSY) is located twenty-one miles from New Orleans’s central business district. In 2000, it served 9,874,257 passengers. The airline’s three-letter designation, MSY, stands for Moisant Stock Yards. John Moisant was an aviation pioneer who crashed near New Orleans. The site of his crash became a cattle stockyard, and eventually the New Orleans International Airport.
92. Pusan Kim Hae International Airport (PUS) is located twenty-seven kilometers (seventeen miles) from
Pusan, in the south of South Korea. In 2000, it served 9,440,244 passengers.
93. Malaga International Airport (AGP) is located eight kilometers (five miles) southwest of the center of Malaga, Spain, and five kilometers (three miles) north of Torremolinos. In 2000, it served 9,438,373 passengers. The airport covers 253 hectares (625 acres).
94. Lisboa International Airport (LIS) is located seven kilometers (four miles) north of the center of Lisbon, Portugal. In 2000, it served 9,395,761 passengers.
95. Nice Cote D’Azur Airport (NCE) is located seven kilometers (four miles) west of the center of Nice, France. In 2000, it served 9,392,408 passengers.
96. Gran Canaria Airport (LPA) is located eighteen kilometers (eleven miles) south of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria Island, Spain. In2000, it served 9,374,399 passengers.
97. Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) is located twenty kilometers (twelve miles) southeast of the city of Tel Aviv, Israel, and fifty kilometers (thirty-one miles) west of Jerusalem. In 2000, it served 9,301,604 passengers.
98. Kaohsiung International Airport (KHH) is located nine kilometers (four miles) from the center ofKao-hsiung, Taiwan. In 2000, it served 9,138,417 passengers.
99. Cheju International Airport (CJU) is located 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the center of the town of Cheju, on Cheju Island, in South Korea. In 2000, it served 9,125,892 passengers.
100. William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) is located seven miles from downtown Houston, Texas. In 2000, it served 9,105,778 passengers. Hobby was Houston’s first airport, and served as the base of operations for Howard Hughes’s flights. Hughes was responsible for several improvements to the airport, and had its first control tower built, in 1938. In 1967, the airport was renamed in honor of William P. Hobby, a former Texas governor.
