World No.1 Aiport 'Megahub' is named

OAG has named the most internationally connected airport in the world 2018 as London Heathrow Airport (LHR). The index is generated by comparing the number of scheduled connections to and from international flights with the number of destinations served from the airport.

International Airport Megahubs

With an International Connectivity Index which is higher than its nearest rival by some margin, LHR ranks as the world’s No. 1 Megahub. On the busiest day for aviation in 2018, there were 66,000 possible international connections between flights arriving and departing at the airport within a six-hour window.

– Chicago O’Hare (ORD) has moved up the Megahubs index and is ranked in 2nd place this year. The airport has more potential international connections on the busiest day but these are spread across a greater number of destinations.

– Ranked 3rd and 4th are Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and Amsterdam Airport (AMS), securing three of the top 4 places for European hub airports.

– The next largest Megahub in North America is Toronto Airport (YYZ), which is ranked 5th overall.

– Beijing Airport (PEK) is the largest airport in the world in terms of scheduled airline capacity (seats) but has half the number of possible international connections on the busiest day, taking its ranking down to 32.

– Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG), while smaller than the Beijing hub, achieves a higher position in the International Megahubs Index because there are more possible connections for each destination.

– The largest Megahubs in Asia Pacific are all located in South East Asia. Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) ranks 8th overall, followed by Jakarta Airport (CGK) in 10th place. Kuala Lumpur Airport (KUL), Hong Kong Airport (HKG) and Bangkok Airport (BKK) are also within the top 15 International Megahubs.

– Another Asian hub, Incheon (ICN), makes it into the top 15 International Megahubs in 15th place.

– Ranked 21st in the International Megahubs Index, Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) has scheduled air services to relatively few destinations – just 83.

– Istanbul Airport (IST) comes in just ahead of Dubai International Airport (DXB) in 17th place with 55,000 possible international connections within a six-hour window.

– The highest ranked Latin American Megahub in this years’ Index is Mexico City Airport (MEX), placed 20th followed by Sao Paulo Guarulhos Airport (GRU) in 37th place.

Low Cost Airport Hubs

The top three places for the low-cost International Megahubs remain as they were in 2017, dominated by south east Asia, with Kuala Lumpur Airport (KUL) ranked in 1st place. Low-cost carrier AirAsia dominates the airport with 40 percent of flight operations.

– Ranked 2nd is Jakarta Airport (CGK) and in 3rd place is Singapore Changi Airport (SIN). At both airports the dominant airline is a legacy carrier indicating the strength of competition between legacy and low-cost airlines.

– Manila Airport (MNL) has jumped up the rankings from 12th place last year to 4th place this year, with low-cost airline Cebu Pacific the dominant carrier at the airport and operating a third of flights.

– Ranked 8th, Barcelona Airport (BCN) is the highest ranked non-Asian airport on the list.

– Fort Lauderdale Airport (FLL), ranked 9th, is the highest placed airport in the Americas, and has risen from 14th to 9th in the rankings. Low-cost carrier JetBlue is the largest airline and operates a quarter of all flights.