Despite facing several challenges, including crashes and regulatory issues, the aviation industry performed well in terms of flight operations across different regions in 2024. According to a report by Airports Council International (ACI), global passenger volume in 2024 is projected to reach approximately 9.5 billion, marking a 104% recovery to pre-2019 levels and a 10% year-on-year (YoY) growth from 2023.

The top 10 busiest international airports in 2024, powered by OAG's Global Airline Schedules Data, provides insight into the whole year of 2024 (January to December) and includes comparison to 2023 and 2019. The ranking is based solely on international airline capacity, reflecting scheduled one-way airline capacity for the year 2024.

Dubai International Airport (DXB) maintained its position as the world's busiest international airport with 60.2 million seats, a title it also held in 2023 and 2019. London Heathrow Airport (LHR) secured second place with 48.4 million seats, reflecting a 4% increase in airline capacity compared to 2023.

Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) rose four places to become the third busiest international airport, reaching 41.6 million seats, with a 24% growth in capacity from 2023. However, it fell slightly behind its 2019 levels by 2%. Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) experienced the highest capacity increase among the top 10 busiest international airports, growing by 40% to become the ninth busiest, although it remains 23% below its 2019 capacity.

Istanbul Airport (IST) saw the largest growth compared to 2019, with a 20% increase in airline capacity, reaching 38.6 million seats and climbing to sixth place. The top 10 busiest international airports accounted for around 411,676,496 passengers globally in 2024, highlighting their crucial role in global air travel.

The aviation industry's performance in 2024 can be attributed to various factors, including a strong economy and high demand for domestic and international travel in North America, interconnected hubs and low-cost carriers in Europe, economic growth and urbanization in Asia-Pacific, strategic international transit hubs in the Middle East, and rising economic development and tourism in Africa.

However, Africa's aviation growth faces challenges from infrastructure and political instability, despite rising economic development and tourism. In Latin America, economic growth and regional connectivity drive traffic, although instability can affect stability.

The ranking of the top 10 busiest international airports in 2024 is as follows: Dubai International (DXB) with 60,236,220 seats, London Heathrow (LHR) with 48,358,450 seats, Seoul Incheon International (ICN) with 41,633,831 seats, Singapore Changi (SIN) with 41,530,309 seats, Amsterdam (AMS) with 39,998,853 seats, Istanbul (IST) with 38,636,958 seats, Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) with 38,482,460 seats, Frankfurt International (FRA) with 35,736,533 seats, Hong Kong International (HKG) with 34,607,000 seats, and Doha (DOH) with 32,455,882 seats.

The report highlights the importance of international airports in facilitating communication, relationships, and transactions worldwide, and their crucial role in global air travel.