Is Charles de Gaulle the busiest airport?

In 2022, the airport handled 57,474,033 passengers and 34,657 aircraft movements, thus making it the world's ninth busiest airport and Europe's third busiest airport (after Istanbul and Heathrow) in terms of passenger numbers. Charles de Gaulle is also the busiest airport within the European Union.



As of early 2026, Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) is not the busiest airport in the world, nor even the busiest in Europe. Globally, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (ATL) holds the top spot, while in Europe, London Heathrow and the rapidly expanding Istanbul Airport (IST) consistently outperform CDG in passenger volume. In 2025-2026 data, CDG typically ranks as the 3rd or 4th busiest in Europe, handling roughly 72 million passengers annually. While it is a massive global hub and the primary gateway to France, its ranking has been challenged by Istanbul's massive infrastructure growth, which is on track to become Europe's absolute leader by the end of this year.

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