Globally Connected Airports

Globally connected airports are the most useful as they allow passengers the greatest choice of destinations.  

According to the latest data from OAG, the leading provider of digital flight information, London Heathrow is the most internationally connected airport in the world for the second straight year, securing the number one spot in OAG’s Megahubs International Index 2018.

OAG’s annual report rates airports by the highest ratio of scheduled connections to the number of destinations served. Asian Airports lead in low cost travel but European and North American hubs dominate global connections.

London Heathrow (LHR) scored a Connectivity Index (CI) of 333 – 27 points higher than the second most connected international airport, Chicago O’Hare (ORD; CI: 306). On its busiest day over the past year, there were over 66,000 possible international connections between flights arriving and departing London Heathrow within a six-hour window. British Airways was the dominant carrier at LHR – controlling 52 percent of flights at the airport over the past year.

“Heathrow is a key connection point for flights all over the world due to its proximity to key EMEA markets and North America,” said John Grant, senior analyst at OAG. “As OAG identified in a recent analysis on Heathrow’s plans to develop a third runway, expansion opportunities will eventually strengthen the airport’s position as the leader in global connectivity by increasing capacity and service to both emerging markets and key European destinations.”

Top 10 international megahubs for connectivity

  1. London Heathrow, UK
  2. Chicago, USA
  3. Frankfurt, Germany
  4. Amsterdam, Netherlands
  5. Toronto, Canada
  6. Los Angeles, USA
  7. Atlanta, USA
  8. Changi, Singapore
  9. Paris Charles de Gaulle, FranceSoekarno-Hatta, Indonesia (tie)

The Asia Pacific region dominated in the Low-Cost International Megahub category, securing ten out of the top 25 positions. The top three spots for low-cost connections stayed the same from 2017 to 2018, with Kuala Lumpur Airport (KUL; CI: 135) ranking first, followed by Jakarta (CGK; CI: 92) and Singapore Changi airport (SIN; CI: 91). While Beijing Airport (PEK: CI: 148) is the largest airport in the world in terms of scheduled airline capacity (seats), the airport finished 32nd in International Connectivity.

“Megahubs are incredibly important for the global travel ecosystem. They increase efficiency, competition and choice, and most importantly, create a boundary-less world for travelers,” added Grant. “Looking ahead, all eyes will be on Beijing’s new Daxing airport. With eight runways serving 100 million passengers annually, we expect it to become one of the busiest and most internationally connected hubs in the world.”

Additional highlights from OAG’s Megabubs International Index include:

  • Singapore Changi Airport (SIN; CI: 253) ranks 8th overall on the list of Top 50 International Megahubs, followed by Jakarta Airport (CGK; CI: 249) in 10th place. Kuala Lumpur (KUL: CI: 233), Hong Kong (HKG; CI: 230), Bangkok (BKK; CI: 230) and Icheon (ICN; CI: 216) all made the top 15.
  • The Philippines’ Manila airport (MNL; CI: 146) jumped from 12th to fourth in the Low Cost International Megahub section. Cebu Pacific Airlines operates a third of the flights as the dominant carrier of this hub.
  • Seven out of the top 10 most connected airports had a single carrier operating 40 percent or more of the flights. Delta Air Lines operated 73 percent of flights at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (7th overall) and Lufthansa operated 63 percent of flights at Frankfurt (3rd overall).

Published by Editorial Team

The Asia Rising Editorial Team is made up of a multinational team of writers, content experts and journalists from around the world operating out of our Bureaus in New York, Bangkok, Toronto and while on assignment across Asia.