The 10 Largest Airports in the World

"Ever wondered what the largest airports in the world are? The top 10 items on that ranking may surprise you-especially when you organize it purely by land area, rather than amount of flights handled or travelers served. After all, airports are vast pieces of infrastructure that stretch across tens or hundreds of square miles. Using land area, this list looks at the largest airports in the world by physical size, ranking them purely on how much ground they occupy."

"As for our source and methodology: This ranking is based on data compiled by World Atlas, which measures the total land area owned and managed by each airport authority. The figures reflect overall airport footprint, including runways, terminals, support facilities, and undeveloped land reserved for future expansion. Rankings are ordered by total area, not by passenger traffic or flight volume."

Rankings list the world's largest airports purely by land area, measuring total ground occupied rather than passenger numbers or flight volume. The methodology uses World Atlas data on land owned and managed by each airport authority. Measured area includes runways, terminals, support facilities, and undeveloped land reserved for future expansion. King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia covers about 300 square miles, making it the largest by a wide margin. Denver International Airport in the United States covers about 53 square miles and ranks second in land area. Rankings reflect physical footprint and potential space for future expansion.

Read at Conde Nast Traveler