London Heathrow Airport was the seventh busiest airport in the world in 2025, according to the Airports Council International (ACI) annual rankings. The airport handled 84 million passengers last year, securing the top spot in Europe.
Heathrow's Performance in 2025
ACI's report compares airports based on passenger traffic, aircraft movements, and cargo volumes. Heathrow's passenger traffic decreased by 0.7 percent from 2024 but increased by 4.4 percent compared to 2019. Heathrow was the only UK airport to make the top ten list. Other major European airports included Paris (72 million passengers), Amsterdam (68 million), and Madrid (68 million).
Global Top 10 Busiest Airports
The world's busiest airport in 2025 was Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International in the US, with over 106 million passengers. Dubai International Airport ranked second with more than 95 million passengers, a 3.1 percent rise from the previous year. Tokyo Haneda Airport came third with 91 million passengers. The complete top ten list is as follows:
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
- Dubai International Airport
- Tokyo Haneda Airport
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
- Shanghai Pudong International Airport
- Chicago O'Hare International
- London Heathrow Airport
- Istanbul Airport
- Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport
- Denver International Airport
Heathrow's Connectivity
In addition to its passenger traffic ranking, Heathrow was named the most connected airport in the world in 2025. According to OAG's Megahubs 2025 report, on its busiest day between September 2024 and August 2025, 59,240 passengers made connections at LHR. The airport offers 226 destinations across 80 countries.
