Blog On World Of Airlines: TOP TEN AIRPORTS IN THE WORLD

Wednesday, 20 March 2013

TOP TEN AIRPORTS IN THE WORLD

Jagriti Srivastava

#10 Copenhagen

Yearly passengers: 21,501,750

Last year's rank: 15

Special awards: Best Airport for Baggage Delivery (#2)

Why it's awesome: The Copenhagen Airport is the busiest airport in the Nordic countries serving nearly 60,000 passengers on more than 60 airlines everyday. The airport is only 5 miles away from the city center, making it easily accessible. It is also one of the hubs in the Star Alliance, a network of 27 international airports that flies to 1,610 airports in 181 countries.

#9 Kuala Lumpur International Airport

Yearly passengers: 29,700,000

Last year's rank: 5

Special awards: Best Airport Immigration Service (#1)

Why it's awesome: Kuala Lumpur is located in the southern corridor of Malaysia and one of Asia's busiest airports. The main terminal keeps green in mind, an entire section of the rain forest was placed inside the main terminal with the "Airport in the forest, forest in the airport," idea.

Source: Skytrax World Airport Awards

#8 Auckland International Airport

Yearly passengers: 13,202,772

Last year's rank: 9

Special awards: Airport Staff Excellence Australia/Pacific (#3)

Why it's awesome: Auckland is New Zealand's airport. Over 20 international airlines serve passengers and 45 flights take off per hour. Aukland provides thousands of jobs and contributes $14 billion to the economy as the country's second largest cargo port.

Source: Skytrax World Airport Awards

#7 Zurich Airport

Yearly passengers: 22,900,000

Last year's rank: 6

Special awards: Best Baggage Delivery (#1) and Best Terminal Cleanliness (#2)

Why it's awesome: The Zurich Airport is Switzerland's airport located 7 miles north of the Zurich city center. The airport features a porter service where travelers pay a fee and a porter picks up your bag from anywhere in the airport and delivers it to your final destination.

Source: Skytrax World Airport Awards

#6 Amsterdam Schiphol

Yearly passengers: 45,211,749

Last year's rank: 7

Special awards: Best Airport Leisure Amenities (#3) and Best Airport For International Travel (#3)

Why it's awesome: Schiphol opened in 1916 as a military airfield and has now transformed into one of the busiest airports in the world. While travelers wait for their flight departures, they can enjoy a massage or play a game of poker at the casino.

Source: Skytrax World Airport Awards

#5 Beijing Capital International Airport

Yearly passengers: 73,891,801

Last year's rank: 8

Special awards: Best Airport Immigration Service (#2)

Why it's awesome: Beijing Capital is the busiest airport in Asia and can accommodate up to 78 million passengers per year. The tallest building, terminal 3, has a red painted roof, China's good luck color.

Source: Skytrax World Airport Awards

#4 Munich Airport

Yearly passengers: 34,721,605

Last year's rank: 4

Special awards: Best Airport Leisure Amenities (#2) and Best Airport Dining (#3)

Why it's awesome: Munich is Germany's second busiest airport. Passengers enjoy aesthetically pleasing terminals on the walk to the gate. The airport was built in terms of an "airport in the form of an urban landscape." Many of the walls and ceilings are made of glass, making the airport feel large and open.

Source: Skytrax World Airport Awards

#3 Incheon International Airport

Yearly passengers: 30,000,000

Last year's rank: 2

Special awards: Best International Transit Airport (#2), Best Airport Security Processing (#3), Best Airport Cleanliness (#1), and Best Airport Washrooms (#2)

Why it's awesome: Incheon is the largest airport in South Korea serving passengers with over 70 airlines. The airport features a museum showcasing Korean culture and a center for traditional Korean culture where travelers can enjoy performances while they wait for their connecting flight.

Source: Skytrax World Airport Awards

#2 Singapore Changi Airport

Yearly passengers: 42,038,777

Last year's rank: 1

Special awards: Best Airport Leisure Amenities (#1), Best Airport Shopping (#2), Best International Transit Airport (#1), and Best Airport Dining (#3)

Why it's awesome: Changi takes passengers to over 200 destinations on more than 90 international airlines and handles about 5,000 arrivals and departures each week. The airport is also home to a nature trail, fitness center, swimming pool, and Singapore's tallest slide.

Source: Skytrax World Airport Awards

#1 Hong Kong International Airport

Yearly passengers: 50,410,819

Last year's rank: 3

Special awards: Best Airport Washrooms (#3) and Best Airport Dining (#3)

Why it's awesome: Located less than five flying hours from half of the world's population, Hong Kong's airport is one of the busiest in the world. The airport also features a nine-hole golf course to pass the time during long layovers.

TEN LARGEST AIRPORTS

1. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International

2. Beijing Capital International Airport

3. London Heathrow Airport

4. O'Hare International Airport

5. Tokyo International Airport

6. Los Angeles International Airport

7. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport

8. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

9. Frankfurt Airport

10. Hong Kong International Airport

TEN BUSIEST AIRPORTS

1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL/KATL) – Atlanta, Georgia, United States – 55,868,147 passengers

Known variously as Atlanta Airport, Hartsfield Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson, the airport is about seven miles to the south of the city’s central business district. It has had the greatest amount of passenger traffic since 1998. It is a focus city of Southwest Airlines, and is also the site of the world’s largest airline hub, serving Delta Air Lines and Express Jet, the connection partner of Delta. It has 207 domestic and international gates.

2. Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK/ZBAA) – Chaoyang, Beijing, China – 46,950,904 passengers

This is the main international airport that serves the Chinese capital of Beijing. It is located 20 miles northeast of the capital’s center. Its IATA airport code is still based on the Romanized name of the capital, Peking. The airport is owned and operated by the government-controlled Beijing Capital International Airport Company Limited.

3. Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) – London, United Kingdom – 40,194,949 passengers

Heathrow is located in West London and is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the whole of the European Union in terms of passenger traffic. It is also the busiest airport in the world when it comes to serving international passengers. Heathrow is the flagship in London’s airport system that includes Gatwicck, Southend, Stansted, Luton and London City. It is estimated to contribute around 2.7 percent to the city’s economy.

4. O’Hare International Airport (ORD/KORD) – Chicago, Illinois, United States – 39,070,976 passengers

Variously known as O’Hare Field, Chicago Airport or Chicago International Airport, the airport is located in the northwestern corner of the city, 17 miles away from the center. The airport is the second largest hub of both United Airlines and American Airlines.

5. Tokyo International Airport (HND/RJTT) – Tokyo, Japan – 37,142,196 passengers

Tokyo International Airport is also called Haneda Airport and is located around 8.7 miles south of Tokyo Station. It used to handle most of the domestic flights to and from Tokyo, with Narita handling the majority of the international flights. A dedicated international runway was opened in 2010, which led to a dramatic increase in the number of international flights, as Haneda used to handle only special charter flights to Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei. The number if expected to rise even further as the Japanese government plans to expand the airport’s international role.

6. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX/KLAX) – Los Angeles, California, United States – 37,129,716 passengers

Los Angeles International Airport is located in southwestern Los Angeles about 16 miles away from the city’s downtown area. The airport serves as the gateway to the Pacific Rim, with its heavy load of flight operations, passenger traffic and air cargo activity. It is the busiest airport in the entire West Coast of the country.

7. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG/LFPG) – Roissy en France, Ile de France, France – 35,746,812 passengers

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is also known as Roissy Airport. It is one of the world’s primary aviation centers and it is also the largest airport in France. It also serves as the principal hub of Air France. It is considered as the busiest airport in Europe in terms of aircraft movement and the second busiest in the continent in terms of cargo traffic.

8. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW/KDFW) – Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, United States – 34,175,500 passengers

The airport is situated between the Texan cities of Dallas and Fort Worth. It is used as the primary hub by American Airlines, and it is considered the fourth busiest airport in the world in terms of aircraft movements. It is the second largest airport in the United States in terms of land area, after the Denver International Airport in Colorado. The area is so large that the airport has its own zip code and public services.

9. Frankfurt Airport (FRA/EDDF) – Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany – 33,187,170 passengers

Frankfurt Airport is the busiest airport in the world in terms of number of international destinations being served, with 275 destinations in 111 countries. It is considered as the busiest airport in Europe in terms of cargo traffic. The airport’s space greatly expanded when the United States closed down a major air base located at the airport’s southern end. The air base, called the Rhein Main Air Base, shut down in 2005. Fraport, the transport company that runs Frankfurt Airport, then acquired it. Frankfurt Airport also serves as the main hub of the German flag carrier Lufthansa and of Condor Flugdienst. As the airport is already bursting at its seams, Lufthansa has also opened a secondary hub in the airport in Munich, where medium and long-haul flights are available.

10. Soekarno Hatta International Airport (CGK/WIII) – Cengkareng, Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia – 33,095,953 passengers

Also called Cengkareng Airport, the airport is located to the west of the capital of Indonesia called Jakarta. It was named after the country’s first president and vice president, Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta respectively. The airport began its operations in 1985, bringing with it all the domestic and international flights that were previously served by two separate airports. It has continuously expanded since then, with a second terminal opening in 1992, and a third terminal being added in 2009. It has been posting remarkable increase in passenger traffic, registering an 18.5 percent uptick in 2010, which is equivalent to 8 million passengers.