Which US airports are the busiest?

Rankings are typically based on passenger volume — the millions of people passing through each year. This chart measures something different: aircraft operations (also called aircraft movements), meaning total takeoffs and landings by all aircraft types — commercial, cargo, charter, general aviation, and military.

While Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson still leads in passenger volume, Chicago O'Hare (ORD) is now the busiest US airport by operations, recording 857,392 in 2025 — roughly one takeoff or landing every 37 seconds. Atlanta had held the #1 spot since 2020.

O'Hare's dominance comes down to a few key factors.

• It serves as a dual hub for both United and American Airlines, driving intense competition and high flight frequency.

• Its central location makes it a natural connecting point for coast-to-coast and international travel.

• It handles an outsized share of short-haul regional flights, which generate more operations per passenger than long-haul routes.

• O’Hare has 8 runways, the most of any airport in the US—or the world—allowing it to handle multiple and simultaneous arrivals and departures, producing the most active airspace in the country.