Move over, Dubai, there’s a new kid in town.
Incheon International Airport in Seoul has overtaken Dubai as the world’s busiest airport.
Citing preliminary data from the Airports Council International (ACI), ICN airport officials say they served 38.4 million passengers in the first six months of this year. If confirmed in ACI’s full report next month, this would mark the first time Seoul has been the world’s busiest airport since opening in 2001.
It also signals at least a temporary shift in travel patterns, with the Middle East region suffering from reduced traffic due to the Iran war and continued hostilities between Israel and its neighbours.
Conde Nast Traveler reports Dubai International (DXB) is expected to place outside the top five this year, despite ranking first for international traffic for the past 12 years. ACI data shows the UAE travel hub fell from 7.4 million passengers in February to just 2.5 million in March.
ICN, on the other hand, reported an 18% increase in transfer passengers this year.
Seoul’s airport ranked as the third busiest in the world in 2024 and 2025, Conde Nast said.
LHR ranked second for the first six months of this year, with 37.79 million pax, followed by SIN with 34.53 million.
