Air travel has become a vital piece of the global economy. It is the most popular means of travel over long distances, capable of carrying vacationers, visitors, businesspeople, or armed forces personnel to their destinations more quickly and safely than could rails, roads, or waterways. Air transport is also ideal for non-human cargo including mail, merchandise, and military payloads.
As a result, cities around the world have adapted quickly, building enormous airports and support infrastructure to meet the ever-growing demand for affordable, available air transport. The world’s largest and busiest airports by cargo traffic are measured by cargo handled for various periods. Numbers listed refer to loaded and unloaded freight in metric tonnes.
Here are the top 20 largest airports in the world by cargo traffic.
| Rank | Airport | Country | Total cargo (Tonnes) |
| 1. | Hong Kong International Airport | Hong Kong | 5,121,029 |
| 2. | Memphis International Airport | United States | 4,470,196 |
| 3. | Shanghai Pudong International Airport | China | 3,768,573 |
| 4. | Incheon International Airport | South Korea | 2,952,123 |
| 5. | Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport | United States | 2,806,743 |
| 6. | Dubai International Airport | United Arab Emirates | 2,641,383 |
| 7. | Louisville International Airport | United States | 2,623,019 |
| 8. | Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport | Taiwan | 2,322,823 |
| 9. | Narita International Airport | Japan | 2,261,008 |
| 10. | Los Angeles International Airport | United States | 2,209,850 |
| 11. | Hamad International Airport | Qatar | 2,198,308 |
| 12. | Singapore Changi Airport | Singapore | 2,195,000 |
| 13. | Frankfurt am Main International Airport | Germany | 2,176,387 |
| 14. | Charles de Gaulle Airport | France | 2,156,327 |
| 15. | Miami International Airport | United States | 2,129,658 |
| 16. | Beijing Capital International Airport | China | 2,074,005 |
| 17. | Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport | China | 1,890,816 |
| 18. | Chicago O’Hare International Airport | United States | 1,807,091 |
| 19. | London Heathrow International Airport | United Kingdom | 1,771,342 |
| 20. | Amsterdam Airport Schiphol | Netherlands | 1,737,984 |
