Which are the 10 largest airports in the world?

The scenario of the global air transportation sector has drastically changed over the last few decades that has been subject to many variables over the past decade. Air travel is not only the most sought after and popular means of travel for long-distance but has made a major contribution to the world economy. It may seem unusual to you that some airports in the world are so big that they have their own postcodes as well. In today’s world, airports are more than just a place to get on or off a plane because there are many amenities available in airports like hotels, restaurants, spas, and malls. Few of these airports ferry tens of millions of passengers every year. Let’s have a look at the list of the top 10 largest airports in the world in terms of their area size.
10. Suvarnabhumi International Airport
Suvarnabhumi International Airport is also known unofficially as Bangkok Airport to be the largest international airport in Southeast Asia region. Having opened operations in 2006, the airport is currently a main hub for Thai Airways, Thai Smile, Bangkok Airways, and Thai VietJet.
Suvarnabhumi has three main terminals. Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 handle the international flights, while Terminal 3 serves only domestic operations. The airport has two parallel runways.
9. Cairo International Airport
Cairo International Airport is the world’s ninth biggest airport. It is located in Heliopolis, Egypt with the capacity to handle 15 million travelers each year as of 2017. It covers an approximate area of 37 square km. Opening in 1963, it is the second-busiest airport in Africa.
8. Shanghai Pudong International Airport
The Shanghai Pudong International Airport is the world’s eighth-largest airport and second biggest in China. Opening in 1999, it covers 40 square km of area. Pudong Airport is a fast-growing hub for both passengers and cargo. The airport is the world’s third-busiest considering cargo traffic. Spread across 10,000 acres it served over 74 million passengers in 2018. It is the busiest airport in mainland China.
7. George Bush Intercontinental Airport
George Bush Intercontinental Airport is located in Houston, Texas that is spread across 10,000 acres. In comparison to Washington Dulles International Airport, this airport is smaller in size. However, it handles 45 million passengers that is more than double the passenger traffic.
It was earlier known as Houston Intercontinental Airport, which was renamed later in 1997 in the honor of US President George H. W. Bush.
6. Beijing Daxing International Airport
Beijing Daxing International Airport is located on the border of the Chinese capital and Langfang, Hebei Province. It has been nicknamed “The Starfish”. It began operations in 2019 and covers 47 square km area. It is currently the biggest airport in Asia. It won the award for best airport considering hygiene measures in Asia-Pacific in 2020.
5. Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport is a major public airport in Florida, USA. It opened in 1981 and covers 69.63 square km area. In 2019, it handled 50,613,072 passengers, making it the busiest airport in the state and 10th busiest airport in the United States. Its former name was McCoy Air Force Base.
4. Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport or just Dulles International Airport is situated in northern Virginia side of Washington DC in USA. The airport covers 52.6 square km area. Operations of the airport opened in 1962. It is named after John Foster Dulles, the 52nd US secretary of state.
3. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, or DFW Airport, is the primary international airport serving the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the US state of Texas. It is 69.63 square km in size. It started operations in 1973. It was the third-busiest airport in the world by aircraft movement and the fourth-busiest considering passenger traffic in the year 2020.
2. Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport, locally known as DIA, opened in 1995. It is situated in Colorado, USA. It is one of the biggest employers in Colorado with more than 35,000 staff. It covers around 135.7 square km area which makes it the largest airport in North America and second largest in the world. DIA has been among the top 20 busiest airports in the world every year since 2000.
1. King Fahd International Airport
King Fahd International Airport, also known as Dammam International Airport, is currently the largest airport in the world in terms of land area. The area of the airport situated in Saudi Arabia is 776 square km. It serves the entire Eastern Province and is one of the three primary international airports in the Kingdom. It is named after King Fahd of Saudi Arabia under whose reign it was constructed and inaugurated. It opened in 1999. Inside the airport, there is a Mosque that can accommodate more than 2000 worshippers at a time. There are other luxurious amenities available including a Hilton Hotel inside the grounds.