International Arrivals at Heathrow Airport.
HONG KONG—London Heathrow Airport has retained its position as the world’s most internationally connected airport, according to OAG’s latest Megahub Index.
Kuala Lumpur International (KUL) held on to its crown as the leading LCC hub, while Chicago O’Hare International again ranked as the top U.S. domestic hub.
Heathrow offers 61,356 possible connections across 227 destinations, with flag carrier British Airways operating half of all flights at the airport.
The rankings are based on the total number of possible connections between inbound and outbound flights within a 6-hr. window, measured on Aug. 2, 2024—the busiest day of aviation activity during the 12-month period from September 2023 through August 2024.
AirAsia, Asia’s largest LCC group, helped propel KUL from fourth place to second in the overall rankings.
Several Asian hubs posted significant gains, including Tokyo Narita, which climbed from 60th to 15th, and Shanghai Pudong, which rose from 32nd to 17th. Both reflect accelerating recovery in North Asia, which had been slower to reopen following the COVID-19 pandemic.
By contrast, some major European hubs, including Amsterdam Schiphol and Frankfurt, slipped in the rankings due to reduced frequencies on Asia routes, driven in part by restrictions on overflying Russian airspace.
Southeast Asia continues to dominate LCC connectivity, with three of the world’s top five LCC hubs located in the region. LCCs account for 61% of all available seats there. New York John F. Kennedy International (JFK) ranked ninth globally, the only North American airport to appear in the top 10. JetBlue Airways, which operates 27% of JFK’s flights, is the leading LCC at the airport.
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