# 1:: Hartfield - Jackson Atlanta International Airport:

Summary: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has terminal and concourse space totaling 5.8 million square feet (~0.54 km²).[3] The airport has two terminals where passengers check in and claim bags, the North Terminal and the South Terminal. The two terminals are parts of a larger building. The portions of the building in between the two terminals include the Atrium (which has a large, open seating area, concessionaires and a bank), the main security checkpoint, car rental agencies and a MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) train station. Six concourse buildings, parallel to one another, exist for passenger boarding. The first concourse is directly connected to the main terminal, and is known as the T-Gates (for Terminal). The remaining five concourses are arranged successively in distance from the terminal as Concourses A, B, C, D, and E. Concourse E is the international terminal, and was opened in 1994 in time for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, which were held in Atlanta. The concourses are connected by an underground Transportation Mall, which begins at the main terminal and passes under the center of each concourse. There is also a second underground walkway between Concourses B and C located at the north end of the two concourses, making it possible to transfer without returning all the way to the center of the concourse. This was originally constructed for Eastern Airlines, who occupied these two terminals... more

2008 Traffic: 90,039,280 (+0.7% :: previous year)

# 2:: Chicago O'Hare International Airport:

Summary: There are two main cargo areas at O'Hare that have warehouse, build-up/tear-down and aircraft parking facilities. The Southwest Cargo Area, adjacent to Irving Park Road, accommodates over 80% of the airport's all-cargo flights, divided among 9 buildings in two tiers. The North Cargo Area, which is a modest conversion of the former military base (the 1943 Douglas plant area), also receives air freighters. It is adjacent to the northern portion of Bessie Coleman Drive. Two satellite cargo areas have warehouse and build-up/tear down facilities, but aircraft do not park at these. Freight is trucked to/from aircraft on other ramps. The South Cargo Area is along Mannheim Road. The East Cargo Area, adjacent to Terminal 5, was formerly the airport's only cargo section but has now mostly evolved into an airport support zone. Although all-cargo flights are important, an even greater amount of global air cargo flies in the cargo holds of passenger aircraft... more

2008 Traffic: 69,353,654 - (-8.9% :: previous year)

# 3:: London Heathrow International Airport:

Summary: The operator of Heathrow, BAA, claims that Heathrow is the "world's busiest international airport", but it is only the world's third-busiest by total passenger traffic, after Atlanta-Hartsfield-Jackson and Chicago O'Hare, which are also international airports. However, Heathrow has the highest number of international passengers. From casino high rollers to ordinary folks, thousands of people pass through the airport everyday. In 2008 Heathrow was the busiest airport in Europe in terms of total passenger traffic (13.6% more passengers than at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport and 25.6% more than at Frankfurt Airport), but it was third behind Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt in terms of plane movements (12.9% fewer landings and take offs than at Charles de Gaulle, and 2.2% fewer than at Frankfurt). Heathrow airport was fourth in terms of cargo traffic (after Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol)... more

2008 Traffic: 67,056,228 (-1.5% :: previous year)

# 4:: Tokyo Haneda International Airport:

Summary: Haneda Airport has three terminals. The main terminals, 1 and 2, are connected by an underground walkway; a free shuttle bus runs between the main terminals and the smaller International Terminal every five minutes. Haneda Airport is open 24 hours. The two main passenger terminals are only open from 5 AM to 11:30 PM. The terminals may be extended to 24-hour operation due to StarFlyer's late-night and early-morning service between Haneda and Kitakyushu, which began in March 2006. All three terminals are managed by Japan Airport Terminal Co., Ltd., a private company. The rest of the airport is managed by the government. It has 46 jetways altogether. ... more

2008 Traffic: 66,735,587 (0.0% :: previous year)

# 5:: Paris Charles de Gaulle Aiport:

Summary: Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (IATA: CDG, ICAO: LFPG) (French: Aéroport Paris-Charles de Gaulle), also known as Roissy Airport (or just Roissy in French), in the Paris area, is one of the world's principal aviation centres, as well as France's main International Airport. It is named after Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970), leader of the Free French Forces and founder of the French Fifth Republic. It is located within portions of several communes, 25 km (16 mi) to the north-east of Paris. The airport serves as the principal hub for Air France. In 2008, Charles de Gaulle Airport handled 60,851,998 passengers and 559,812 aircraft ... more

2008 Traffic: 60,851,998 (+1.6% :: previous year)