The largest airport in the world by surface area is King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia. With a massive area of 776 km², this airport is larger than the entire country of Bahrain. For comparison: Schiphol Airport would fit into it nearly 28 times.
Interestingly, the largest airports by surface area are often not the busiest. They are built for future growth or are located in deserts where space is not an issue.
1. King Fahd International Airport (DMM) – 776 km²
Location: Dammam, Saudi Arabia The undisputed number one is in a class of its own. This airport is so large that it is often called larger than New York City (though that is slightly exaggerated, it is larger than all neighboring countries in the Persian Gulf). Despite its enormous size, only a small portion is actually used for terminals; much of it is desert land owned by the airport. There is even a special terminal for the royal family.
2. Denver International Airport (DEN) – 135.7 km²
Location: Colorado, United States The largest airport in the US and North America. Denver is known for its iconic roof that resembles snow-capped mountain peaks (or tents). The airport is notorious for many conspiracy theories about underground bunkers and the demonic blue horse statue (Blucifer) at the entrance.
3. Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) – 100 km²
Location: Sepang, Malaysia This airport was built on a piece of farmland and rainforest. The plan is to eventually turn this into a complete airport city with three terminals and four runways. The architecture is unique with the theme “airport in the forest, forest in the airport,” including a real jungle inside the terminal.
4. Istanbul Airport (IST) – 76.5 km²
Location: Istanbul, Turkey The newest giant on the list. Opened in 2018 to replace the old Atatürk Airport. This airport is built to eventually become the busiest in the world, with a capacity for 200 million passengers per year once all phases are completed. The design is hyper-modern, and walking distances are sometimes so large that you almost run a marathon to reach your gate.
5. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) – 69.6 km²
Location: Texas, United States Everything is bigger in Texas. DFW is so large that it has its own zip code, police, fire department, and medical services. Technically, it functions as an independent city. It is a crucial hub for American Airlines and handles enormous numbers of passengers.
6. Orlando International Airport (MCO) – 53.8 km²
Location: Florida, United States The gateway to Disney World and Universal Studios. MCO is surprisingly large in surface area, partly due to the many lakes and swamps on the grounds. The design is airy with many palm trees and a monorail that transports passengers to the terminals.
7. Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) – 48.6 km²
Location: Washington D.C., United States Named after John Foster Dulles. The main building is an architectural masterpiece by Eero Saarinen. The airport has a vast amount of space reserved for future expansions (buffers) to limit noise pollution for the growing city.
8. Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) – 46.6 km²
Location: Beijing, China Nicknamed “The Starfish.” Although the total land area is smaller than that of Denver, Daxing does have the largest terminal in the world under one roof (700,000 m²). The revolutionary design ensures that you never have to walk more than 8 minutes from the center to the furthest gate.
9. George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) – 44.5 km²
Location: Houston, Texas, United States The second Texan airport on the list. Named after the 41st president of the US. It is one of the fastest-growing airports in the US and serves as the primary gateway to Latin America for United Airlines.
10. Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) – 39.9 km²
Location: Shanghai, China The main international airport for Shanghai. It is located directly on the coast and is known for its Maglev train connection, which whisks passengers to the city at 430 km/h. It is also one of the largest cargo airports in the world.
