Skift Take
The notable lack of New York, Tokyo, and Delhi in the top 20 highlights the difference between a city's international standing and a given airport's nonstop connectivity.
It’s official. Global air traffic has not only reached pre-pandemic levels but is now tracking above 2019 figures. With more passengers flying, many airlines have restored their international route network to full strength.
Relative stabilization after almost four years of Covid-related fluctuations offers the chance to find out which airports are the best connected in this new era.
Fresh data from aviation analytics firm Cirium examines the number of unique nonstop destinations served from each airport in the first six months of 2024 – and there are a few surprises. For example, Denver International Airport soars above many larger world cities.
Of the global top 20, half are in Europe, the United States and China each have four airports, and two are in the Middle East. But where came out on top?
#1: A Turkish Powerhouse
Istanbul is in first place with 309 nonstop destinations. The mega-hub is helped into pole position by Turkish Airlines, which uses the airport as its base. The company flies to more countries than any other, with 130 served as of June 2024. However, you won’t find any premium economy seats on the national carrier, as Skift discussed with the Turkish Airlines chairman last month.
The city’s east-meets-west location also makes it a popular destination for other operators beyond the Turkish Airlines network.
#2, 3 and 4: Europe’s Big Three
A trio of European hubs make up second, third, and fourth place in the ranking. The German financial hub of Frankfurt is number two globally, with 296 destinations. It’s also one of two major bases for Lufthansa. Frankfurt is followed by Paris Charles de Gaulle (282) and Amsterdam Schiphol with 270.
As well as a wide-reaching interview with KLM CEO Marjan Rintel, Skift also recently met Ben Smith, CEO of the Air France-KLM Group. We covered everything from the Paris Olympics to the battle for sustainability.
The first U.S. airport on the list is Chicago O’Hare. It is tied for fourth place with Amsterdam at 270 nonstop destinations. Dubai misses out on a three-way tie for the fourth spot, with 269 destinations.
Its hometown airlines Emirates and flydubai do much of the heavy lifting, but the city’s international appeal sees dozens of other carriers serve the airport. Skift will be back in Dubai in November for the 2024 edition of Skift Global Forum East.
#7: American Airlines’ Global Hub
Another U.S. airport is at number seven on the Cirium chart. Dallas-Fort Worth had 261 nonstop destinations in the first half of the year. The sprawling site is home to American Airlines, with multiple other carriers in the oneworld alliance also using the facility as an entry point to plug into onward connections.
The Skift Aviation Forum will be held in Dallas on November 12, with Sean Donohue, CEO of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Robert Isom, CEO of American Airlines due to speak.
Where Else Made the Top 10?
The first Chinese airport in the ranking is Shanghai Pudong in eighth place. The hub had 243 nonstop destinations, complemented by Hongqiao, the city’s second commercial airport.
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson is well known for being the world’s busiest passenger airport, but when assessed by the number of nonstop destinations, it only makes ninth place. The Georgia hub, home to Delta Air Lines, had 237 nonstops in the first six months of 2024.
Rounding out the top ten is not Heathrow, Madrid, or Munich, but Rome. The Italian city’s Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport had 234 destinations during the period.
Why is London Lagging?
While no U.K. airport made the top 10, London was the only city in the chart to have two airports in the top 20. Heathrow came in 12th place with 221 destinations, with Gatwick narrowly behind in 14th spot and 218.
For context, Heathrow’s ranking is down four positions from the same time in 2023, when it was eighth. However, the hub is still up on its pre-pandemic figure. London also remains the world’s busiest ‘airport system’ with six major airports all serving the British capital.
Other major cities such as New York, Tokyo, and Delhi, do not feature in the top 20 at all. The full table of the top 20 most connected airports can be found below:
Airlines Sector Stock Index Performance Year-to-Date
What am I looking at? The performance of airline sector stocks within the ST200. The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets including network carriers, low-cost carriers, and other related companies.
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Tags: airlines, airports, business travel, istanbul
Photo credit: Flight information display in Istanbul Airport displaying upcoming flights. CanYalicn / Adobe Stock