The list of the top 50 airports with the most international connections, known as Megahubs, was released by the statistics organization OAG in 2022. Mega hubs, last updated in 2019, shed light on the significant changes that have occurred since the pandemic and the subsequent recovery.
Despite keeping the top spot among European transportation hubs, London Heathrow’s (overall)’s ranking dropped from first in 2019 to 22nd this year. Similar declines were seen at the airports in Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Frankfurt (FRA), which fell from the top ten to 27th and 30th, respectively.
The top three most connected airports in the world are Chicago O’Hare (ORD, No. 1), Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW, No. 2), and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL, No. 3), all of which are American airports.
The highest-ranked non-American mega hub in the rankings is Mexico City Juarez International Airport (MEX), which is now No. 8 after moving up seven spots from No. 15 in 2019.
Beyond CDMX, which overturns the dominance of the top 12 U.S. airports, ElDorado Airport (BOG), in 18th position, also represents the area. Toronto Pearson (YYZ), the first of three Canadian airports on the list (Vancouver 28th and Quebec 50th), and So Paulo – Guarulhos (33rd), Lima- Jorge Chavez (47th), and Cancun round out the top five (46th).
The political choice to keep air traffic open throughout the pandemic, which allowed the reduction of connections to just 16%, an incidence substantially lower than the global trend, was said to have benefitted the airport servicing the Mexican capital.
The pandemic has not yet completely healed the world market. While the US now holds a leading position due to its robust domestic market, John Grant, chief analyst at OAG, predicts that Europe and other global hubs will catch up over the next 12 months as the industry moves toward a full recovery.
Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), which replaced Hong Kong International Airport in the Top 50, is the most linked Asia-Pacific megahub. Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) drops to No. 12, while Bombay International Airport (BOM) rises to No. 6 in Asia Pacific.
