# World's Busiest Airports



## MrFSS

The thirty world's busiest airports by passenger traffic are measured by number of total passengers (data provided by Airports Council International). One passenger is described as someone who arrives in, departs from, or transfers through the airport on a given day.

*World's Busiest Airports Data*


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## George Harris

If I have been in 16 of the 30 does this mean I travel too much?


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## PRR 60

George Harris said:


> If I have been in 16 of the 30 does this mean I travel too much?


It means you have 14 more to visit!


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## gswager

Done with 7 so far.


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## MrFSS

I'm half way there, been to 15 of them.


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## GG-1

WOW I have been to 8 of them and ours isnt on the list.

Aloha


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## PRR 60

14 for me, so I've got some work to do to get the next 16.


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## saxman

18 for me. DFW my hometown keeps moving down, being beat by Paris now.


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## stlouielady

Well heck, 14 for me as well, and, my 'hometown' one didn't make the list...no big surprise there though.


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## Green Maned Lion

Five (JFK, EWR, DEN, PHX, MCO). I've been to O'hare as well, but just to drop my mom, sister, and housekeeper off on the way to a more civilized form of transportation.


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## George Harris

Did anyone else notice that there are two urban areas that each have two airports that made the list?

New York City, JFK - 12 and NWK - 19

Tokyo, Haneda (HND) - 4 and Narita (NRT) - 24


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## GG-1

George Harris said:


> Did anyone else notice that there are two urban areas that each have two airports that made the list?


I hadn't but after mentioning those two I am surprised Washington DC did not include there two, plus BWI

Aloha


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## PRR 60

George Harris said:


> Did anyone else notice that there are two urban areas that each have two airports that made the list?
> New York City, JFK - 12 and NWK - 19
> 
> Tokyo, Haneda (HND) - 4 and Narita (NRT) - 24


And London - LHR (2) and LGW (20)


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## George Harris

PRR 60 said:


> George Harris said:
> 
> 
> 
> Did anyone else notice that there are two urban areas that each have two airports that made the list?
> New York City, JFK - 12 and NWK - 19
> 
> Tokyo, Haneda (HND) - 4 and Narita (NRT) - 24
> 
> 
> 
> And London - LHR (2) and LGW (20)
Click to expand...

Oops, didn't read carefully enough.

Speaking of reading carefully: Did anyone else notice the goofy ICAO airport codes? It seems for the US codes they for the most part took the standard three letter code and just stuck a K in front of it, but for a lot of the airports in other countries, the new code seems to bear no resemblance to either the city or the current code. Appears like somebody is trying to prove their worth by screwing up a good system. The US codes now look like radio and TV station call letters,and as for the rest?

Looked up ICAO, and here is part of what is in Wikipedia:



> Unlike the IATA codes, the ICAO codes have a regional structure, are not duplicated and are comprehensive. In general, the first letter is allocated by continent and represents a country or group of countries within that continent. The second letter generally represents a country within that region, and the remaining two are used to identify each airport. Using the earlier example as Heathrow airport, if one knows that the ICAO code for Heathrow is EGLL, then one can deduce that the airport EGNH is somewhere in the UK (it is Blackpool International Airport). On the other hand, knowing that the IATA code for Heathrow is LHR does not enable one to deduce the location of the airport LHQ with any greater certainty (it is Fairfield County Airport in Ohio in the United States). The exception to this rule is larger countries that have single-letter country codes, where the remaining three letters identify the airport.
> In the contiguous United States and Canada, most, but not all, airports have been assigned three-letter IATA codes which are the same as their ICAO code without the leading K or C. e.g., YYC and CYYC (Calgary International Airport, Calgary, Alberta), IAD and KIAD (Dulles International Airport, Chantilly, Virginia). These codes are not to be confused with radio or television call signs, even though both countries use four-letter call signs starting with those letters. However, because Alaska, Hawaiʻi and other United States territories have their own 2-letter ICAO prefix, the situation there is similar to other smaller countries and the ICAO code of their airports is typically different from its corresponding 3-letter FAA/IATA identifier. For example, Hilo International Airport (PHTO vs ITO) and Juneau International Airport (PAJN vs JNU).
> 
> In region L (Southern Europe), all available 2-letter prefixes have been exhausted and thus no additional countries can be added.


There emblem is the United Nations flag with wings added, so I guess they are an agency of the UN.

My humbe opinion is that they have created a solution to a non-existent problem.

My home city, Memphis has an airport code of MEM. If you goof up and write MFM, that gets you to Macau, formerly a Protugese colony on the coast of China, but they are far enough apart I would consider confusion in air traffic control an impossibility. Misdirected baggage on an international trip, maybe, but then for baggage everybody still uses the three letter IATA codes.

And yyou relly got to love, *"These codes are not to be confused with radio or television call signs, even though both countries use four-letter call signs starting with those letters."*

At least the ICAO codes recognize Taiwan as a country rather than the usual UN "province of China" nonsense. Wonder how that one got by the PRC without their usual irrational protestations?


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## had8ley

I made 21 in my lifetime with absolutely no desire to add anymore to the list. Amtrak stations; yes; airports; I don't think so.


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## saxman

> Speaking of reading carefully: Did anyone else notice the goofy ICAO airport codes? It seems for the US codes they for the most part took the standard three letter code and just stuck a K in front of it, but for a lot of the airports in other countries, the new code seems to bear no resemblance to either the city or the current code. Appears like somebody is trying to prove their worth by screwing up a good system. The US codes now look like radio and TV station call letters,and as for the rest?


What do you mean by that? These codes have been around since the 1940's and are used only for navigation in distinguishing different airports for the aircraft systems. Other than that, the 3 letter codes are used for everything else.


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## PRR 60

Here's a pretty comprehensive history of airport codes and the various three and four letter variations:

http://www.skygod.com/asstd/abc.html


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## saxman

PRR 60 said:


> Here's a pretty comprehensive history of airport codes and the various three and four letter variations:
> http://www.skygod.com/asstd/abc.html


Wow thats what I was trying to find and its from my own union. Thanks PRR. That was lots of stuff I didn't know.


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## George Harris

saxman66 said:


> Speaking of reading carefully: Did anyone else notice the goofy ICAO airport codes? It seems for the US codes they for the most part took the standard three letter code and just stuck a K in front of it, but for a lot of the airports in other countries, the new code seems to bear no resemblance to either the city or the current code. Appears like somebody is trying to prove their worth by screwing up a good system. The US codes now look like radio and TV station call letters,and as for the rest?
> 
> 
> 
> What do you mean by that? These codes have been around since the 1940's and are used only for navigation in distinguishing different airports for the aircraft systems. Other than that, the 3 letter codes are used for everything else.
Click to expand...

OK, I just did not know about them until I ran into them on airnav.com a few years ago. Fifty plus years old or not I still see no reason for two systems of designations. At least in the US and Canada there is a relationship, but for much of the rest of the world, seems like the road to confusion. But whatever floats your boat. Maybe its the air transportation world's substitute for the secret handshake known (at least formerly) only to industry insiders.


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## MrFSS

George Harris said:


> Maybe its the air transportation world's substitute for the secret handshake known (at least formerly) only to industry insiders.


Speaking of industry leaders, how would you liked to have dinner with group?







Picture I took in the Firestone Winery in the Santa Ynez Valley in Southern California a few weeks ago.

Firestone, Rosenwald, Edison, Lipton, Schwab, Ford, Chrysler, and Eastman. Wonder what the topic of discussion was that evening?


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## GG-1

MrFSS said:


> George Harris said:
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe its the air transportation world's substitute for the secret handshake known (at least formerly) only to industry insiders.
> 
> 
> 
> Speaking of industry leaders, how would you liked to have dinner with group?
> 
> Picture I took in the Firestone Winery in the Santa Ynez Valley in Southern California a few weeks ago.
> 
> Firestone, Rosenwald, Edison, Lipton, Schwab, Ford, Chrysler, and Eastman. Wonder what the topic of discussion was that evening?
Click to expand...

What would 8 men talk about, I will never tell. :lol:


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## JayPea

I must not get out much........only five of the top thirty. But I have been at two of the top five: LAX and O'Hare. There's no chance ever of the nearest airport (Pullman(WA)/Moscow(ID)) ever reaching these heights. :lol: If they ever did, I'm outta here!  I'm too countrified: Spokane International is plenty busy for me.


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