Dubai airport stays world's busiest international airport in November, nearly 680,000 seats ahead of Heathrow

Dubai International Airport (DXB) has retained its position as the world's busiest international airport. Aviation data provider OAG's November 2026 rankings show the airport offering about 8.94 million scheduled international seats this month (4.47 million departing seats, counted both ways), nearly 680,000 seats ahead of second-placed London Heathrow Airport. The figures underline the scale of Dubai's international network as a major connecting hub between Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. (Cover photo is a file image of Dubai International Airport's concourse; photo credit: Emirates.)

Heathrow second; Incheon and Changi close behind

London Heathrow (LHR) recorded about 3.79 million international seats in November, ranking second; Seoul Incheon (ICN) took third place with about 3.70 million seats; Singapore Changi (SIN) followed with 3.58 million, and Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) completed the top five with 3.25 million seats. Hong Kong International Airport, Istanbul Airport and Paris Charles de Gaulle occupied sixth, seventh and eighth positions respectively, with Bangkok Suvarnabhumi ninth and Frankfurt completing the international top 10.

Capacity down 16% year on year, but the lead is wide

Despite retaining the top position, Dubai recorded a 16% year-on-year decline in scheduled international capacity compared with November 2025. Even with that contraction, the airport maintained a substantial advantage over its closest competitors. Dubai's hub position is supported by its two home-based carriers: Emirates provides long-haul widebody connectivity, while flydubai serves a broad range of regional and international markets, alongside services from almost 50 foreign airlines.

Record year in 2025; passenger traffic down in the first half of 2026

Dubai International Airport handled 95.2 million passengers during 2025, a 3.1% increase on the previous year and the busiest year in the airport's history. Traffic figures during the first half of 2026 showed a different trend: Dubai Airports reported that DXB handled 31.5 million passengers between January and June, a 31.3% decline compared with the corresponding period in 2025. By the end of June 2026, the airport was connected to 217 destinations across 99 countries. The November rankings underline that, although scheduled capacity remained below the previous year's level, Dubai International Airport's importance in international aviation is unchanged.

(Source: Aviation A2Z, November 5, 2026; data: OAG, Dubai Airports.)