You might be surprised to know that the biggest airports of the USA are comparable to the size of a medium sized city. These airports are constantly growing to deal with increased amounts of traffic with expansion work taking place on a regular basis to manage with the same. Lets look at the biggest airports in USA by their size in square miles
List of Top 10 Largest and Biggest Airports in the US
Denver International Airport
Among the 10 biggest airports of USA the Denver International airport is considered to be the second largest airport in the world for passengers on the planet only second the the King Fahad Airport in Saudi Arabia. It is the largest airport in the USA and is twice the size of the second biggest airport in the USA and comes in at an impressive 53 square miles. It is even bigger than the cities of Boston, San Francisco and Miami. The Denver airport has a total of 6 runways for flights/airlines and has recently made a new terminal with 39 new gates all together with a grand total of 90 gates. It even comes with a 82000 square foot outdoor plaza that is open to the general public and travelers/passengers can access it. The Denver international airport is considered to be the one of the busiest and bigger airports in the United States.
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
Worth International Airport is among the biggest US airports. It is home to American Airlines, the worlds biggest carrier. It is bigger than the size of the city of Manhattan with an impressive total of 168 gates. It is also on the forefront when it comes to sustainability working towards a zero emissions policy by 2030. This airport has 7 runways for its flights with 73 million passengers a year. It comes in at an impressive 26 square miles in size. It is also one of the ten largest airports in the US. Further it is one of the top 10 busiest airports while also being one of the biggest airports in the world. It is a top airport in USA and the international airport is the second largest in the country by land size.
Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport (MCO) is also considered one of the best large airports and is the busiest airports in the US for its passengers which sizes up to be 20.7 Square miles. It holds a central position when it comes to travel in the Florida region coming in as the 7th busiest airport in the country.It handles 44 different airlines and boasts a massive 850 flights on a daily basis. In the previous year Orlando International Airport managed to deliver services to 58 million passengers. It is fourth largest airport by size at 20.7 square miles.
Salt Lake City International Airport
Salt Lake City International Airport is one of the major airports on this list and is the main hub for Delta Airlines. Plus it was the first US based airport to be built in the turn of the 21st century and which was inaugurated in 2020 and was remade to be modernized given its old facility was 60 years old. It has received a high rating for its spacious layout, modern design and art installations in 2024. Their international traffic is increasing steadily and they offer travel to foreign destinations non stop for locations like Amsterdam, London and Paris. This airport handled 26 million passengers a year which is likely to increase to 34 million by 2026 when their new terminal is opened. It covers an area of 12 square miles. It is among the top 10 biggest airports of the US. It is one of the biggest airports in the US airports industry.
San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport covers an area of an impressive 8.14 square miles and managed to transport 50 million passengers in 2023. It is considered a central location for travel to and from the Asia Pacific area. It also possess USA’s largest terminal which sums up to be 1.8 million square feet with a powerful customs facility processing 5000 passengers an hour. They even have an exhibit gallery with information on the history of the airport. It is designed to be earthquake resistant. It is one of the biggest airports in America. This airport also possesses the largest international terminal in the USA which is 1.8 million square feet.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport
George Bush International Airport is also considered to be one of the busiest airports in the world for passengers and is another airport in North America that is sizeable at a 17.1 square miles. It has a total of 5 runways and handles long distance flights to locations like Latin America. This airport serves to be the hub for United Airlines. They are planning to expand with a new terminal. In the previous year they managed 46 million passengers. It is one of the largest airports in the U.S
Detroit Metropolitan Airport
Based out of Michigan, it is one of the large airports in the US. DTW covers an area of 19.6 square kilometers and manages two terminals as well as six runways. It was originally constructed in 1929 and managed to serve 31.4 million passengers in 2023. It has a total of 103 gates.
John F Kennedy International Airport
United States is home to John F Kennedy International Airport and it covers a space of 8.1 square miles while replacing what was formerly a golf course. It was named in honor of President Kennedy in 1963 and used to be the international gateway US back in the day. It is know undergoing reconstruction to create a greener and better airport while also increasing in airports indoor space aiming to transport 62 million passengers a year. It is considered to be the busiest airport for international traffic in the US. It is among the 10 largest airports. It is known for being the busiest airport in the country.
Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport is a massive 18.7 square miles and it is among the largest airports. It was opened in the 1960’s in North Virginia and was located in a rural area. It is now a happening airport surrounded by defense contractors and technology firms. It is considered a hub for United Airlines with flights to 86 domestic and 57 international destinations. It is also accessible by a metro line.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport
O’Hare is one of the top ten largest airports and is the main airport in the Chicago region and is considered to be one of the airports with the highest amount of throughput of passengers, managing to transport 74 million just in 2023 itself. They have a grand total of 202 gates and well as 8 different runways which is believed to be the most number of runways for any commercial airport. By 2028 the airport will be modernized using $8.5 billion of funds to achieve the goal. It is one of the largest airports in America. The airport is big, it is 11.25 square miles in size and is one of the biggest and busiest airports in USA.
There you go, that’s a comprehensive list of the 10 biggest airports in USA. Happy flying !