Megahubs report keeps Heathrow on top
London’s Heathrow airport has held on to its position as the planet’s most internationally connected airport for the second year in a row, Megahubs report by aviation data specialist OAG reported. The airport reclaimed the spot in 2023 after being knocked down to 22nd place in 2022. British Airways continued to be its dominant airline, operating half of flights from Heathrow.
Kuala Lumpur Airport and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport took the second and third spots in the Global Megahubs Top 50 which ranks connectivity by comparing the number of scheduled connections both to and from international flights with the number of destinations that an airport serves.
European airports Amsterdam Schiphol, Paris CDG, Istanbul Airport and Frankfurt Airport were also featured in and among the global top 10, dominating in terms of regional connectivity.
“The combination of destinations served and, very importantly, the frequency with which they are served, are key factors in creating the most successful mega hubs in the world,” OAG chief analyst John Grant, said. “Heathrow scores on both counts, placing it ahead of its rivals.”
Europe’s mega hubs within the global top 50 included Munich, Madrid, Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen, Athens, Barcelona, and Rome Fiumicino. With the exception of Rome which has climbed seven places since 2023, all of these airports saw a slight drop in the Megahubs rankings. This is due to a reduction in services to Asia following flight restrictions over Russia and Ukraine, OAG said.
Elsewhere, John F. Kennedy International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport were ranked sixth and ninth respectively with JFK falling from second place in 2023. Chicago O’Hare, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson and Dallas Fort Worth were the American airports with the most domestic connectivity.
Asian airports also gained prominence in the global rankings. 14 airports from the continent were featured within the top 50 with Korea’s Incheon Airport, Kuala Lumpur and Haneda all being among the top 10.
