The world's largest airports are sprawling cities unto themselves, with several of them spanning far greater surface areas than many urban metropolises. The enormity of these airports signifies more than just the economic and commercial vitality of air travel; it also highlights the remarkable feats of engineering and design involved in their creation. In this article, we will focus on the top 15 largest airports based on surface area.
In looking at the sheer surface area, Saudi Arabia's King Fahd International Airport takes the first place with a staggering 776 km². Next in line is King Khalid International Airport, also in Saudi Arabia, with a land area spreading across 375 km². The third rank is claimed by Denver International Airport in the United States, which covers a land area of 135 km², making it the largest in terms of surface area in North America. Another sprawling complex is the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia, ranked fourth with a total area of 100 km². Istanbul Airport in Turkey comes fifth, spanning over 76 km². Next, we find three more American airports in succession. Dallas/Fort Worth International at sixth place with an area of 69 km², followed closely by Southwest Florida International, which covers 54 km². In the eighth position, we have Orlando International, stretching across 53 km². Also from the United States, the ninth rank is held by Washington Dulles International with an area of 48 km². The list of the top 10 largest airports by surface ends with Beijing Daxing International Airport in China, sprawling over an area of 46 km². Top 10 Largest Airports in the World by Surface Area:
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
30
#20
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
27
#24
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
46
#10
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
27
#23
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
36
#15
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
30
#21
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
69
#6
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
135
#3
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
35
#16
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
23
#25
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
44
#11
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
76
#5
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
43
#12
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
776
#1
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
375
#2
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
100
#4
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
53
#8
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
32
#18
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
40
#13
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
22
#26
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
31
#19
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
39
#14
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
54
#7
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
32
#17
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
48
#9
Metric
Value
Rank
Surface Area (km²)
28
#22
Region ↕ | Surface Area (km²) ↕ |
---|---|
Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport | 30 |
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol | 27 |
Beijing Daxing International Airport | 46 |
Brisbane International Airport | 27 |
Cairo International Airport | 36 |
Chicago O'Hare International | 30 |
Dallas/Fort Worth International | 69 |
Denver International | 135 |
Dubai International | 35 |
Frankfurt Airport | 23 |
George Bush Intercontinental/Houston | 44 |
Istanbul Airport | 76 |
Kansas City International | 43 |
King Fahd International Airport | 776 |
King Khalid International Airport | 375 |
Kuala Lumpur International Airport | 100 |
Orlando International | 53 |
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport | 32 |
Pittsburgh International | 40 |
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport | 22 |
Salt Lake City International | 31 |
Shanghai Pudong International Airport | 39 |
Southwest Florida International | 54 |
Suvarnabhumi Airport | 32 |
Washington Dulles International | 48 |
YEG Edmonton International Airport | 28 |