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10 airport hubs that see most traffic in the world

Last updated on: April 5, 2013 11:28 IST

A Lion aeroplane prepares to land as a Garuda plane queues to take-off at the Sukarno-Hatta airport in Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia.

Image: A Lion aeroplane prepares to land as a Garuda plane queues to take-off at the Sukarno-Hatta airport in Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia.
Photographs: Enny Nuraheni/Reuters

Airport hubs see a lot of incoming passengers transferring to planes that are not served directly from their original point of departure, according to The Economist.

Hubs are popular with airlines because they make their operations considerably more efficient. Airport owners like them because hubs have more flights. And local users like them because they serve more destinations: pooling passengers from many different points of departure makes it possible for airlines to offer flights to places that would otherwise be uneconomic, it says.

Let's take a look at some of the busiest airport hubs in the world.

Source: The Economist

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Image: A view of Maynard H Jackson Jr. International Terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
Photographs: Tami Chappell/Reuters

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

City: Atlanta

Country: The United States

Population of the metropolitan area: 5 million

Distance to city centre: 13 kilometres

Global rank in transfer passengers: 1

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Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport City United States

Image: Skyline of Frankfurt from the top floor of the headquarters of the European Central Bank in Germany.
Photographs: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

Frankfurt am Main Airport

City: Frankfurt

Country: Germany

Population of the metropolitan area: 3 million

Distance to city centre: 12 kilometres

Global rank in transfer passengers: 2

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Frankfurt am Main Airport City Germany

Image: A view of the Chicago skyline in United States.
Photographs: John Gress/Reuters

O'Hare International Airport

City: Chicago

Country: The United States

Population of the metropolitan area: 10 million

Distance to city centre: 27 kilometres

Global rank in transfer passengers: 3

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Image: Tourists cycle as they drink beer and sing karaoke on a beerbike in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Photographs: Robin van Lonkhuijsen/United Photos/Reuters

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

City: Amsterdam

Country: The Netherlands

Population of the metropolitan area: 2 million

Distance to city centre: 12 kilometres

Global rank in transfer passengers: 4

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Image: A view of Burj Khalifa from Al Qasr hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Photographs: Jumana ElHeloueh/Reuters

Dubai International Airport

City: Dubai

Country: The United Arab Emirates

Population of the metropolitan area: 1 million

Distance to city centre: 5 kilometres

Global rank in transfer passengers: 5

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Image: A view of Munich's townhall during the Christmas market, Germany.
Photographs: Michaela Rehle/Reuters

Munich Airport

City: Munich

Country: Germany

Population of the metropolitan area: 3 million

Distance to city centre: 30 kilometres

Global rank in transfer passengers: 6

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Image: A man rides bicycle as he makes his way along a snow-covered sidewalk near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.
Photographs: John Schults/Reuters

Charles de Gaulle Airport

City: Paris

Country: France

Population of the metropolitan area: 11 million

Distance to city centre: 24 kilometres

Global rank in transfer passengers: 7

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