The biggest airport in the world is defined by three criteria set by the Airports Council International: passenger traffic, cargo traffic and traffic movement. The biggest airport can also be defined by square kilometerage.

Taking into account the first 3 criterion, the biggest airports in the world are Atlantic International Airport; for most aircraft movements and most passengers, Memphis International Airport; for largest volume of cargo, and London-Heathrow; for number of international travelers. Memphis is the worldwide headquarters of Federal Express, accounting for the enormous amount of cargo flowing through its gates. London Heathrow may have more international passengers than any other airport in the world, but for sheer number of passengers, Atlanta and Chicago O’Hare have it beat. O’Hare had 76 million passengers pass through its doors in 2006.

The largest airport by sheer size was the King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia at 780 square kilometers! It seems curious that this airport is so large, as it only serves just over 2 million passengers. Its grounds include a mosque, a nursery and the Royal Terminal; dedicated to monarchs and heads of states. Just over 200,000 square meters is dedicated to the nursery alone; a lush green oasis in the middle of the desert.

Beijing International Airport, in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics has just completed its Gigantic Dragon Terminal, bringing the entire complex to approximately 1300 square kilometers.