Top 10 Largest Airports in the United States in Terms of Size

When you plan your journey, you may decide which airports you prefer and want to avoid. Most individuals want to get the best traveling experience with some of the largest airports on the globe. Big airports are able to provide more facilities, as is believed.

To fulfill such needs, the United States has made many big airports. Airports like Denver International Airport are large in terms of area. The largest airports in the United States are occasionally the biggest in terms of size, but this is not always the case. Making the best utilization of space, such airports have plenty of gates, runways, stalls, etc., for the convenience of the passengers. Such biggest airports in the US are what we will be reading about.

Here we have mentioned the Top 10 Largest Airports in the United States in our blog:

What is the Biggest Airport in the U.S?

Airports like DEN Airport, Orlando International Airport, and John F. Kennedy Airport are among the biggest airports in America. The gigantic space they cover is the foremost reason for this. Also, the proper utilization of the occupied space is why they are regarded thus. Including these, we have found 10 airports that fall in the category.

On reading further, you can learn about these big airports.

Denver International Airport(DEN) 

If you want to know what is the biggest airport in the US, then you must know about Denver International Airport. It is indeed the biggest of all other airports in the United States because of its massive size. It covers a land area of 135.7 square kilometers. 

Initially, it had 89 gates with two main terminals to meet the growing passenger number. This international airport could then handle around 61.4 million passengers throughout the year, making it the third busiest airport in the US. 

Later on, it developed more gates with 3 concourses. Nearly 179 gates are functional now, thus, becoming one of the largest airports by the number of gates. Having said that, its passenger traffic has also increased. DEN Airport can now handle as many as 69 million people.

Occupying the DEN Airport code, it has been equipped with six different runways. These are the largest runways of the entire USA, measuring 16,000 feet in length.

Orlando International Airport (MCO)

Coming to the next biggest airport in America, let us read about Orlando International Airport. This airport is indeed an attraction spot for many travelers in the world. It is very close to Walt Disney World. 

MCO was initially McCoy US air force base in 1942. This is the reason why it has the MCO Airport code. It was then subsequently transformed for civilian purposes in 1976, covering about 12,600 acres or 51  square kilometers.

The airport has 1 main terminal with 93 gates. It is further divided into 3 other terminals. Terminal A comes with gates 1 to 29 in Airside 1 and gates 100-129 in Airside 2. Terminal B has Airside 3 which comprises gates 30 to 59. It also comes with Airside 4, having gates 70 to 99. 

In addition to the above, Terminal C has a big enough complex to support gates 230 to 245. These gates allow the easy flow of passengers throughout this large airport. In addition, a total of 50 million passengers fly from this airport annually.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, covering a total area of 17,207 acres, is among the largest airports in the U.S. This airport has five terminals and more than 170 gates. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) welcomed around 75 million passengers in 2022, making it the second busiest airport in the world. Visitors to DFW can enjoy the experience of traveling via a massive airport. It provides international flights worldwide to more than 260 locations.

Dallas Airport saw infinite traffic of 70 million people in the year 2020. Now, it has increased to 73 million on an annual basis. Flyers across the globe use the DFW Airport code to quickly find this airport.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)

George Bush Intercontinental Airport is undoubtedly among the top 10 biggest airports in the U.S. as United Airlines’ biggest hub. This airport is the primary one in the city of Houston. It is also owned by this city. 

Holding an area of 10,000 acres, this airport sees over 40 million travelers worldwide. Nearly half a million movements of aircraft enter and leave IAH Airport every year. 

It is also astonishing that this airport in North America has 5 terminals, with each one having numerous gates. Terminal A has 20 of them. Terminal B has 40 gates. There are 29 gates available at Terminal C. Passengers can find 12 of them at Terminal D. Additionally, there are 30 gates at Terminal E.

As the biggest airport in North America, IAH also has various facilities. Its structure is massive enough to support food services, interactive spaces, assistance spots, and more.

Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)

Located in the Eastern US, Washington Dulles International Airport is spread over an area of 13,000 acres. It is enormously big. It is considered one of the largest airports in America. Hence, owing to its colossal size, the airport with the IAD Airport code can serve around 21 million people all over the year. 

Aside from its big structure, this airport is notable for its terminals. It has 1 main terminal and several midfield terminals. They have around 4 concourses, catering to different functions. 

It is also interesting that IAD has lounges for passengers of multiple airlines. This further indicates the participation of the largest Airport in North America in a wide network of airlines. 

O’Hare International Airport (ORD)

With its relatively central position in the Midwest, O’Hare International Airport is among the biggest airports in America. It attracts millions of people each year. O’Hare is stretched out across 7,627 acres and has almost one-fifth of the world’s foot traffic. So you can understand how hectic traffic it can be surrounded with at times.

With the ORD Airport code, this airport has seven runways. Its eighth runway has been a new development. There are around 213 different gates in four separate terminals right now. It transports around 54,020,399 passengers each year.

San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

San Francisco International Airport is roughly 13 miles to the south of the city center and lies with around 5207 acres of land. This is an important facility serving the Bay Area and the only one among the biggest airports in the US. 

Importantly, San Francisco Airport is renowned for being occupied due to its enormous foot traffic which averages about 42,281,641 people each year. This airport, which has the SFO Airport code, is equipped with four terminals and around 100 gates. 

The airport is so big and features multiple gates. This makes it easier for passengers to have more choices when traveling to or from California. Hence, at this large airport, you can have not one but multiple ways to reach the desired spot.

John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK)

Another popular choice for travelers among the largest airports in the U.S. is John F. Kennedy International Airport. It can be found in New York City. Here, it is commonly abbreviated as JFK. 

This airport, which covers multiple acres of land, has eight terminals in total. While some of these are less functional, others are heavily occupied by people. This is a strong indicator of the functioning of the biggest airport in New York. It serves about 55 million people each year. So, it is amongst the most famous airports in America.

Comprising the JFK Airport code, this structure has been among New York’s biggest airports. It is said that JFK Airport is going to expand its terminals in the upcoming years with upgraded runways and security. The work on this is still going on and is expected to be done by 2025.

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

The biggest city in California is served primarily by LAX Airport. Not only this but also for the surrounding regions of the city, this structure is important. Los Angeles International Airport is particularly located in Westchester. 

Speaking of the attributes that establish LAX among the largest airport in the United States, it is spread over 3500 acres. It is even more surprising that it has 9 terminals. Together they feature nearly 146 gates. 

These terminals are often frequented by passengers. From Auckland to Xiamen, they can fly to endless destinations via this airport. Almost 65,924,298 people prefer using LAX for their plans.

Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)

Salt Lake City International Airport, located just across Salt Lake City, is around  7,700 acres in size. Owing to this attribute, it can carry about 26 million travelers every year, thus, making it among the largest international airports in the U.S. 

This magnificent airport is connected to the Utah Transit Authority’s TRAX system. This allows locals to park outside the airport and commute without having to pay the exorbitant parking fees observed at SLC Airport. Hence, more and more passengers prefer it for its convenient facilities.

Known for its SLC Airport code, this structure has undergone a series of modifications to guarantee that it can continue to increase traffic.

Conclusion

As you read above, there are around 10 airports that have the most unique specifications. From their passenger traffic and size to their terminals and gates, these specifications make them really big. From Denver International Airport to Salt Lake City International Airport, we discussed the enormous sizes and capacities of these airports. Hence, they come to be known as the biggest airports in the U.S.

We hope this blog will be helpful to you and now you will use this guide to make your travel plans better.

Which airport was the most impressive concerning its terminals and size? Tell us in the comment box below. Also, keep reading on to know more about such airports in our upcoming blogs.

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