Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective, does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
The ability to move to the desired point by air has become a real sensation at one time. Today, a flight from one end of the Earth to the other will take only a few hours. And all this thanks to the planes. Sometimes strict conditions must be met for a comfortable landing, and the size / quality of the surface of the take-off / landing strips is an important factor. Here is a selection of the cleanest, most functional and largest airports on the planet.
Welcome to … or the giant airports: the top 8 largest in the world
| Nomination | a place | The airport | Annual passenger traffic |
| Ranking of the largest in the world | 8 | Charles de Gaulle, Paris, (France) | 60 million people |
| 7 | Hong Kong ('Cheklapkok'), China | 68 million people | |
| 6 | Frankfurt am Main (Germany) | 70 million people | |
| 5 | Schiphol, Amsterdam (Netherlands) | 71 million people | |
| 4 | Heathrow, London (UK) | 80 million people | |
| 3 | O'Hara, Chicago (USA) | 83 million people | |
| 2 | Los Angeles, USA) | 87 million people | |
| 1 | Hutsfield-Jackson, Atlanta (USA) | 90-100 million people |
Charles de Gaulle, Paris, (France)
Rating: 4.3
Annual passenger traffic: 60 million people
Named after one of the French presidents, Charles de Gaulle airport is famous not only in Europe but around the world. Founded almost half a century ago, it is famous as one of the largest airports on the planet and is considered one of the best on the European continent: it is from here that it is convenient to get to anywhere in Europe. In addition, on the territory of Charles de Gaulle, there are 2 railway stations operating at once, connecting the capital with any city in the country.
Built in a futuristic style, the metropolitan French airport looks like it has stepped out of the pages of a fantasy novel. Many movies and music videos were filmed here.
The territory of the complex is divided into 3 terminals. The first, in the avant-garde style, is intended for intercontinental flights. It is completely open for viewing: instead of blind passages, there are transparent tunnels. The second one, originally built to serve the flights of the national airline AirFrance, is now available for flights of any airlines in the world. And finally, the third – exclusively for charters.
Despite its prominence, convenience and high passenger traffic, the airport has also gained a notoriety: in recent years, it has slightly tarnished its reputation with numerous complaints from travelers who have suffered from theft without luggage.
Hong Kong ('Cheklapkok'), China
Rating: 4.4
Annual passenger traffic: 68 million people
The main and undoubtedly the best airport in China. It was opened quite recently – in 1998 and in such a short period of time managed to repeatedly visit various ratings of the best airports in the world. He is one of the most expensive, large and beautiful among the existing ones. Despite its gigantic size, it is difficult even for a novice traveler to get lost here: all kinds of signs and services are installed at every step.
Interesting fact Chek Lap Kok is built on the artificial island of the same name, where dozens of planes, both passenger and cargo, land every day.
Hong Kong Airport is a colossal project. More than $ 20 billion was spent on its implementation: Cheklapkok is a member of the Guinness Book of Records as the most expensive airport on the planet. Due to its partial location on the island, Chek Lap Kok has been significantly increased in area: the size of the air station was about 1200 hectares. In 2007, the second terminal was built, where the prestigious shopping and entertainment center with many boutiques and restaurants is located.
The runways have a total length of 3800 kilometers and reach 60 kilometers in width: this is quite enough for receiving any airliners. Up to 60 planes land and take off in Chek Lap Kok every hour, and Hong Kong airport is one of the world leaders in terms of passenger and cargo traffic.
Frankfurt am Main (Germany)
Rating: 4.5
Annual passenger traffic: 70 million people
German Pride, the largest in Germany and one of the largest airports on the planet. By the way, it should be noted that the road to the airport is not the closest. Nevertheless, the city authorities made sure that the guests of the country could get to the airport with comfort: not only buses but also trains run along special routes.
The two-terminal Frankfurt International is considered the continental hub for most of the major airlines in the world: more than 50% of passengers who land in its terminals transfer to another flight. It is one of the largest international air hubs. Has in its presence a 4-kilometer runway, which allows you to take the world's largest aircraft – Airbus A380.
The airport, also known as the Rhine-Main, offers its guests many recreation areas, excellent shopping conditions, high-quality catering establishments, playrooms for children, its own cinema, a hotel right on the territory, etc. There are many signs that simplify the process of moving around the territory air harbor.
Schiphol, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Rating: 4.6
Annual passenger traffic: 71 million people
Observation decks with excellent panoramic views, a branch of the National Museum of the country with Dutch painting, a library, a marriage registration, its own casino, many shops, restaurants and entertainment points for tourists, and even a morgue – all that you will not find at the main metropolitan airport.
Schiphol appeared back in 1916. But initially it was created as an air base and was not intended for civilian traffic. It began to fulfill its present function only after the end of the First World War.
Interesting fact. In ancient times, the site of the airport was the Haarlemmermer Bay, which was drained in the middle of the 19th century.
Schiphol is considered the largest and busiest airport in Europe, but at the same time it is arranged so conveniently that it is comfortable even for inexperienced travelers to stay in it. And for those who, after the flight or on the eve of it, feel tired of the surrounding hustle and bustle and noise, we offer a comfortable rest alone with themselves in the Meditation Center. This is a soundproofed room where you can meditate or pray. There is also a library with sacred books of various religions.
Schiphol is the lowest airport among the European giants: it is located 3 meters below sea level. The airport ranks 16th among the largest structures on the planet with a total area of all premises of about 600,000 m2. Throughout its existence, Schiphol has been repeatedly recognized as the best in the world.
Heathrow, London (UK)
Rating: 4.7
Annual passenger traffic: 80 million people
The famous airport is considered the busiest and one of the largest in Europe. And this, despite the fact that it has far from the best location. The fact is that it is located at too low an altitude – only 25 meters above sea level. Because of this, its runways often disappear in the frequent London fog.
Built back in 1930, Heathrow first became famous for the presence of as many as 6 take-off lines. Today there are only 2 of them. But this is quite enough, because for many years the stripes have lengthened and gradually expanded. At the same time, their quality remained invariably high. An excellent proof of this is the close cooperation of Heathrow with almost a hundred airlines in the world.
The airport is designed for a maximum load of 40 million passengers per year, but in fact the figure is almost 2 times more, which could not but cause congestion at Heathrow and frequent flight delays. Hence – a lot of negative reviews. In the coming years, it is planned to solve the problem by building another take-off / landing strip.
As for the airport infrastructure, there are no complaints here. Air travelers are offered numerous lounges, prayer places, restaurants, saunas, hairdressers, shops, etc.
O'Hara, Chicago (USA)
Rating: 4.8
Annual passenger traffic: 83 million
Built in 1943, O'Hare was originally a manufacturing plant for an American aircraft manufacturer. Named after the main character of the famous novel, one of the largest airports in the world is located in the Midwest and is considered one of the most 'problematic': the daily passenger traffic is simply crazy. But it is he who entails a decrease in the quality of service: about 20% of all O'Hara flights are simply canceled. In 2005, the airport became a kind of record holder, servicing over 1 million flights.
Although the majority of passengers travel exclusively on national air routes, from Chicago airport you can easily fly to more than 60 destinations around the world.
At the moment there are 4 terminals operating on the territory of the airport, but several more are planned to be built in the future. This is due to the incredibly high load on the complex. For the same reason, the city authorities decided to reduce O'Hara's passenger traffic in order to improve the quality of service and reduce the number of canceled flights.
Interesting fact. The airport is partly connected to the city limits through a small strip of land less than 70 meters wide. It was incorporated into the city for one sole purpose: so that the city authorities could control the work of O'Hara.
Los Angeles, USA)
Rating: 4.9
Annual passenger traffic: 87 million people
A truly gigantic, but incredibly simple and convenient airport – the largest in the city and one of the most functional in the country. The 8-terminal complex looks peculiar from a height: the terminals are built in the form of the Latin letter U, or a horseshoe. It is at this airport that the headquarters of United Airlines is located. LAX operates 69 destinations around the world.
On November 1, 2019, a new LAX-it system was activated at the airport, designed to reduce congestion before entering the city's air harbor. Passengers who arrived at the airport had to use the shuttle in order to get to a specially designated area for calling an Uber or Lyft taxi at a distance from Terminal 1.
In fact, the system turned out to be so slow that it caused huge traffic jams (some passengers had to wait for their cars for about an hour). The airport management has expressed its apologies and promised to optimize the route, as well as add road markings.
At present, colossal reconstruction work is also being carried out, for which a record amount for the city was allocated from non-profit organizations – about $ 4 billion.
Hutsfield-Jackson, Atlanta (USA)
Rating: 5.0
Annual passenger traffic: 90-100 million people
Airport workload is considered one of the important indicators of the success of its work. And so far, in this criterion, the Atlanta complex has no equal in the world, since 2007. It can be confidently called the largest in terms of passenger traffic. To understand the real scale of air transportation at this transport hub, it is enough to learn a few facts.
First, 3 planes can land at Hutsfield-Jackson at once. Second, the airport handles 250,000 passengers every day. Thirdly, the area of the complex reaches 2000 hectares. If you add to this all the high quality of service (solely based on user reviews), you get one of the best air harbors on the planet. For the first time, Hutsfield-Jackson opened its air 'doors' in 1926: a post-baggage plane landed here.
For the comfort of passengers, a 24-hour parking lot was built on the territory of the airport, designed for 30,000 cars. In addition, buses run here every 3-7 minutes. The Hartsfield-Jackson complex is considered the largest in the world and, being here for the first time, you can easily get lost.
The airport offers its guests a wide range of services to improve the comfort of waiting for a flight. Recreation areas are open around the clock, there are separate sleeping rooms, boxes for mothers and children, where you can change clothes, wash and feed the baby. Travelers also have access to grocery stores, souvenir shops, food outlets, a park for walking dogs, as well as free Wi-fi access without any traffic restrictions.
Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
