Incheon International Airport ranked first worldwide for international passenger traffic in the first half of 2026, according to preliminary Airports Council International (ACI) statistics cited by Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC). The airport handled 38.39 million international passengers from January through June, up 6.3% year on year.[1]Incheon airport ranks world's No. 1 in int'l passenger traffic in first halfYonhap News Agency · en.yna.co.kr · Accessed 2026-08-23Open source details
The result placed Incheon ahead of London Heathrow Airport, with 37.79 million international passengers, and Singapore Changi Airport, with 34.53 million. The preliminary ranking covered 1,234 airports and marked the first time Incheon had led the category since opening in 2001.[1]Incheon airport ranks world's No. 1 in int'l passenger traffic in first halfYonhap News Agency · en.yna.co.kr · Accessed 2026-08-23Open source details[2]Incheon airport tops world in int'l passenger traffic in 1st halfKorea.net · korea.net · Accessed 2026-08-23Open source details
Background
Incheon had ranked third worldwide for international passenger traffic in 2025, behind Dubai International Airport and Heathrow. ACI's 2025 data recorded 73.55 million international passengers at Incheon, compared with 95.19 million at Dubai and 79.87 million at Heathrow.[3]Busiest airports in the worldAirports Council International World · aci.aero · Accessed 2026-08-23Open source details
IIAC attributed part of Incheon's first-half 2026 growth to disruption at Middle Eastern hubs during the United States–Iran conflict, which shifted some connecting traffic toward East Asia. Transfer passengers at Incheon rose 18.1% year on year to 4,244,992, while transfer traffic on European routes increased 63.2%.[2]Incheon airport tops world in int'l passenger traffic in 1st halfKorea.net · korea.net · Accessed 2026-08-23Open source details[4]Incheon Airport Tops World in International Passengers for First TimeSeoul Economic Daily · en.sedaily.com · Accessed 2026-08-23Open source details
Foreign visitor traffic also increased. Foreign nationals accounted for 39.3% of Incheon's passengers in the first half of 2026 and 44.4% in the second quarter, with growth linked in part to increased arrivals from China and Japan.[4]Incheon Airport Tops World in International Passengers for First TimeSeoul Economic Daily · en.sedaily.com · Accessed 2026-08-23Open source details
The first-half result was a mid-year international-passenger ranking, not a final full-year ranking and not a ranking of total passenger traffic. ACI's full-year 2025 statistics continued to list Dubai as the world's busiest airport for international passengers and Atlanta as the busiest airport by total passenger traffic.[3]Busiest airports in the worldAirports Council International World · aci.aero · Accessed 2026-08-23Open source details