Dubai International Briefly Overtakes ATL as the World’s Busiest Airport

Breaking a title that Atlanta has held pretty consistently from 1998 to now, data shows that Dubai International Airport (DXB) edged out Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) as the world’s busiest airport in the first quarter of 2025. The crown is expected to fall back to Atlanta by the second quarter.

Dubai’s advantage lies in its aircraft type. Despite ranking only 14th in total flights, DXB handles a sea of widebodies… meaning more seats… meaning more passengers. Its flagship carrier, Emirates, flies only twin-aisle jets, including a staggering 116 Airbus A380s. Each one packs up to 517 seats.

Its fleet composition gives Dubai the highest average seat count per flight anywhere: 278. By comparison, even Qatar Airways’ home base of Doha averages 20 fewer. This edge puts Dubai at the top of the charts despite having far fewer total movements.

Dubai’s traffic is also climbing faster than most. The first quarter of 2025 saw a two-percent rise in flights and the addition of 22 destinations, including new or revived service to Edinburgh and Bogota. Compared with 2019, DXB now schedules 13 percent more flights and 5 percent more seats.

Atlanta, on the other hand, hasn’t fully clawed back from the pandemic. Its total flights remain down more than 10 percent from pre-2020, though the use of larger aircraft has given it a boost. Seat counts have only dropped about one percent.

Seasonal changes may restore Atlanta’s glory. Dubai’s departures typically level off in the second quarter as the US vacation season supercharges Atlanta’s schedule. Cirium analytics forecast that ATL will surge ahead again by midyear, offering 13 percent more seats than in winter compared to DXB’s 2.6 percent.

Atlanta remains untouchable when it comes to passengers and aircraft movements. The Georgia hub handled 104.6 million travelers and 775,818 aircraft movements in 2023, smashing Dubai’s 87 million passengers.

FMI: www.atl.com