In this article, we review which airports handled the largest amount of cargo by metric tonne that passed through the airport in 2019.
The following list is based on figures from Airports Council International (ACI) and displays the top 20 airports in order of tonnes of cargo handled in 2019. Figures are calculated by totalling all loaded and unloaded freight and mail at each airport throughout the course of the year.
This article was updated on 5 June 2020, based on figures published on 19 May 2020.
1. Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)
The world’s busiest airport for 10 consecutive years in a row, Hong Kong International Airport is the main airport for the region and handled almost half a million tonnes more than its closest competitor airport in 2019.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 4,809,485
Compared to 2018: 6.1 per cent decrease
2. Memphis International Airport (MEM)
A civil-military airport, Memphis International Airport is home to the FedEx Express global hub, which processes the majority of the company’s packages, subsequently resulting in such a high position in the list for the airport.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 4,322,740
Compared to 2018: 3.3 per cent decrease
3. Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG)
One of two international airports in the region, Shanghai Pudong International Airport is a major hub in the Chinese aviation industry, serving predominantly international flights.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 3,634,230
Compared to 2018: 3.6 per cent decrease
4. Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF)
A civil-military airport located in Kentucky, Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is home to a major UPS hub and is one of the most significant cargo facilities in the U.S.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 2,790,109
Compared to 2018: 6.4 per cent increase
5. Incheon International Airport (ICN)
The largest airport in South Korea, Incheon International Airport is one of the main transport hubs in Northeast Asia and is the national gateway to the Republic of Korea.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 2,764,369
Compared to 2018: 6.4 per cent decrease
6. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)
Named after a U.S senator from Alaska, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is equidistant from Tokyo and New York, meaning it is situated less than 9.5 hours from 90 per cent of the industrial world.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 2,745,348
Compared to 2018: 2.2 per cent decrease
7. Dubai International Airport (DXB)
Dubai International Airport is the primary international airport serving Dubai and is used as a service hub for the majority of local airlines.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 2,514,918
Compared to 2018: 4.8 per cent decrease
8. Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH)
The sole international airport in the state of Qatar, Doha Hamad International Airport is operated by Qatar Airways and rapidly becoming an increasingly important aviation hub.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 2,215,804
Compared to 2018: 0.8 per cent increase
9. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE)
One of four international airports in the region, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is the largest and busiest, serving Taipei and northern Taiwan.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 2,182,342
Compared to 2018: 6.1 per cent decrease
10. Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT)
Formerly known as New Tokyo International Airport, Narita International Airport serves the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 2,104,063
Compared to 2018: 6.9 per cent decrease
11. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)
Named after a former French president, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is the largest international airport in France and also referred to as Roissy Airport.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 2,102,268
Compared to 2018: 2.5 per cent decrease
12. Miami International Airport (MIA)
Essential to Miami-Dade’s trade status, Miami International Airport is the world’s largest gateway to Latin America & the Caribbean for international freight.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 2,092,472
Compared to 2018: 1.8 per cent decrease
13. Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
Located in the fifth largest city in Germany and operated by Fraport, Frankfurt Airport acts as a hub for multiple German and European cargo companies.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 2,091,174
Compared to 2018: 3.9 per cent decrease
14. Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)
A major civilian airport serving Singapore, Singapore Changi Airport is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia and is the focal point of Singapore’s status as a world-class aviation hub.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 2,056,700
Compared to 2018: 6.3 per cent decrease
15. Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK)
Built to resemble a dragon, Beijing Capital International Airport is the primary international airport serving Beijing and is home to the second largest passenger terminal in the world.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 1,957,779
Compared to 2018: 6.0 per cent decrease
16. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN)
The primary airport serving Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province in China, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is China’s largest transportation hub.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 1,922,132
Compared to 2018: 1.7 per cent increase
17. Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
Located on the Northwest Side of Chicago, Illinois, O’Hare International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world and one of the most significant transportation hubs in the U.S.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 1,758,119
Compared to 2018: 3.8 per cent decrease
18. London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
One of six airports located in London, the largest aviation hub in the world, London Heathrow Airport is the UK’s largest airport – welcoming over 80 million passengers in 2019.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 1,672,874
Compared to 2018: 5.6 per cent decrease
19. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS)
Acting as the main international airport for the Netherlands, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is Europe’s best-connected cargo handling airport, with the most direct air destinations.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 1,592,221
Compared to 2018: 8.4 per cent decrease
20. Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)
Suvarnabhumi Airport, unofficially known as Bangkok Airport, is one of two international airports serving Bangkok, Thailand.
Tonnes of cargo handled: 1,326,914
Compared to 2018: 11.2 per cent decrease
Passenger numbers
To view the top 20 busiest airports in the world by passenger number – click here.
Aircraft movements
To view the top 20 busiest airports in the world by aircraft movements – click here.
This website uses cookies to enable, optimise and analyse site operations, as well as to provide personalised content and allow you to connect to social media. By clicking "I agree" you consent to the use of cookies for non-essential functions and the related processing of personal data. You can adjust your cookie and associated data processing preferences at any time via our "Cookie Settings". Please view our Cookie Policy to learn more about the use of cookies on our website.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorised as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. For our other types of cookies "Advertising & Targeting", "Analytics" and "Performance", these help us analyse and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these different types of cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. You can adjust the available sliders to 'Enabled' or 'Disabled', then click 'Save and Accept'. View our Cookie Policy page.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Cookie
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertising-targeting
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertising & Targeting".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Performance".
PHPSESSID
This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
zmember_logged
This session cookie is served by our membership/subscription system and controls whether you are able to see content which is only available to logged in users.
__cfduid
The cookie is set by CloudFare. The cookie is used to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address and apply security settings on a per-client basis. It does not correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information.
Performance cookies are includes cookies that deliver enhanced functionalities of the website, such as caching. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Cookie
Description
cf_ob_info
This cookie is set by Cloudflare content delivery network and, in conjunction with the cookie 'cf_use_ob', is used to determine whether it should continue serving “Always Online” until the cookie expires.
cf_use_ob
This cookie is set by Cloudflare content delivery network and is used to determine whether it should continue serving “Always Online” until the cookie expires.
free_subscription_only
This session cookie is served by our membership/subscription system and controls which types of content you are able to access.
ls_smartpush
This cookie is set by Litespeed Server and allows the server to store settings to help improve performance of the site.
next-i18next
This cookie is served by the Swapcard app/website to detect and store the user’s language.
one_signal_sdk_db
This cookie is set by OneSignal push notifications and is used for storing user preferences in connection with their notification permission status.
YSC
This cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos.
Analytics cookies collect information about your use of the content, and in combination with previously collected information, are used to measure, understand, and report on your usage of this website.
Cookie
Description
bcookie
This cookie is set by LinkedIn. The purpose of the cookie is to enable LinkedIn functionalities on the page.
GPS
This cookie is set by YouTube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
lang
This cookie is set by LinkedIn and is used to store the language preferences of a user to serve up content in that stored language the next time user visit the website.
lidc
This cookie is set by LinkedIn and used for routing.
lissc
This cookie is set by LinkedIn share Buttons and ad tags.
nQ_cookieId
This cookie is served by the Swapcard event app/website and uniquely identifies the user’s session.
nQ_visitId
This cookie is served by the Swapcard app/website and uniquely identifies the user.
vuid
We embed videos from our official Vimeo channel. When you press play, Vimeo will drop third party cookies to enable the video to play and to see how long a viewer has watched the video. This cookie does not track individuals.
wow.anonymousId
This cookie is set by Spotler and tracks an anonymous visitor ID.
wow.schedule
This cookie is set by Spotler and enables it to track the Load Balance Session Queue.
wow.session
This cookie is set by Spotler to track the Internet Information Services (IIS) session state.
wow.utmvalues
This cookie is set by Spotler and stores the UTM values for the session. UTM values are specific text strings that are appended to URLs that allow Communigator to track the URLs and the UTM values when they get clicked on.
_ga
This cookie is set by Google Analytics and is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. It stores information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat
This cookies is set by Google Universal Analytics to throttle the request rate to limit the collection of data on high traffic sites.
_gid
This cookie is set by Google Analytics and is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visited in an anonymous form.
Advertising and targeting cookies help us provide our visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns.
Cookie
Description
advanced_ads_browser_width
This cookie is set by Advanced Ads and measures the browser width.
advanced_ads_page_impressions
This cookie is set by Advanced Ads and measures the number of previous page impressions.
advanced_ads_pro_server_info
This cookie is set by Advanced Ads and sets geo-location, user role and user capabilities. It is used by cache busting in Advanced Ads Pro when the appropriate visitor conditions are used.
advanced_ads_pro_visitor_referrer
This cookie is set by Advanced Ads and sets the referrer URL.
bscookie
This cookie is a browser ID cookie set by LinkedIn share Buttons and ad tags.
IDE
This cookie is set by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
li_sugr
This cookie is set by LinkedIn and is used for tracking.
UserMatchHistory
This cookie is set by Linkedin and is used to track visitors on multiple websites, in order to present relevant advertisement based on the visitor's preferences.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
This cookie is set by YouTube. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website.