These Are the 11 Biggest Airports in the U.S.—A List That Might Surprise You

Menu Tips + NewsAir Travel News By Barbara Peterson, Sophie Friedman   •  October 13, 2026 These Are the 11 Biggest Airports in the U.S.—A List That Might Surprise You The country’s most sprawling airports have huge public art collections, terraces, and plans to get even bigger. Copy Link copied Facebook Pinterest Twitter Print Going to Disneyland? You’ll be flying into the fourth-largest airport in the U.S.

This article was originally published in 2024 and most recently updated on October 13, 2026, with current information.

Denver International Airport holds the crown as the largest airport in the U.S. by land mass—a footprint so massive it surprises most travelers, especially since the world’s busiest hub, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, doesn’t even crack the top 11. But an airport’s sheer acreage is more than just a trivia stat; it completely dictates your travel experience. On the plus side, these giant hubs operate like modern mini-cities, offering multiple dining options, airline lounges, and robust flight options. However, their scale requires caution. Travelers must watch out for multi-mile treks to the gate, sometimes complex terminal train networks, and passenger volumes that can sometimes derail a tight connection.

Because there is no single, authoritative database for domestic land dimensions, our ranking of the country’s largest airports is built directly on the facilities’ own published data, local government records, and sources like Guinness World Records.

The 32-foot “Mustang” statue, aka “Blucifer,” isn’t the only thing that is super-sized at Denver International Airport.

The second largest airport in the world after the humongous King Fahd Airport in Saudi Arabia, Denver International Airport is so huge, it’s more than double the size of the next largest U.S. airport, Dallas Fort Worth. At 53 square miles, it’s also larger than the cities of San Francisco, Boston, and Miami, and the city of Denver intends to keep going, with a two-phase strategic expansion planned.

The aim of phase one, Vision 100, is preparing DEN to serve 100 million passengers annually in the next few years. (In 2025, the airport saw about 82.4 million travelers.) Meanwhile, phase two—Operation 2045—is looking forward to the airport’s 50th anniversary in 2045 and an expected 120 million passengers.

Nice amenities at DEN include an 82,000-square-foot outdoor plaza before security where parents can let their kids loose before a flight. Once inside, travelers can still breathe in fresh air; each of the airport’s three concourses has an outdoor deck with a firepit and views of the Colorado plains in the distance.

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is one of the biggest and busiest airports in the country—and it’s also bigger than Manhattan in New York.

The phrase “everything is bigger in Texas” doesn’t refer only to big hats and big hair—it could also describe its super-size airports: The Lone Star state has two of the biggest and busiest U.S. airports. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is the home base of American Airlines, which carried the most passengers in the world in 2025—a cool 279.6 million (nearly seven times the population of Canada).

The airport occupies a footprint bigger than the island of Manhattan; it even has its own zip code, plus five terminals with a total of 172 gates. Construction of a sixth terminal with 31 gates—all for use by American Airlines—is underway and expected to open, in part, sometime in 2027.

Size doesn’t prevent it from working toward sustainability, with plans for net zero-carbon emissions by 2030. With seven operational runways, the airport was able to handle more than 85.6 million fliers in 2025, who no doubt appreciate amenities like 30 art installations and yoga studios at gates D40 and E31.

Related: 4 Days in Dallas: Stetsons, Samurai Armor, and Seriously Good Tex-Mex

For a relatively small hub, Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Florida, occupies a huge chunk of land—and there’s an interesting reason why.

Photo by Christoffer Hansen Vika/Shutterstock

Its passenger numbers may be tiny compared to the first two airports on this list—just over 11 million fliers in 2025—but Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers is nonetheless the third biggest airport in the U.S. in terms of land area. Well positioned as the gateway to Florida’s southwest region, it serves such destinations as the Cape Coral–Fort Myers area, as well as Sanibel and Captiva islands, Naples, Marco Island, and Punta Gorda.

What’s the reason behind the big footprint? It’s not for future development, but for land conservation. Some 6,000 acres of its total area have been designated as protected swamplands. But the airport itself isn’t sitting still; an ongoing expansion, including a new 14-gate Concourse E, is expected to be completed in late 2027.

Fly to Orlando airport and take the the Brightline train to Miami.

Six miles from downtown Orlando, this airport is the main international gateway for Central Florida and its world-famous theme parks. And as the seventh busiest airport in the country, Orlando International Airport now has 1,000 daily flights on average across 40 airlines, bringing hordes of tourists from the U.S. and abroad to experience this popular family-friendly resort city.

The airport opened a new wing in Terminal C in June 2026, part of a years-long renovation, and will soon turn its attention and $351 million to renovating Terminals A and B; construction is expected to start in 2027 and wrap in 2030.

Related: The World Knows It for Theme Parks. But You Should Go to Orlando for Its Strip-Mall Food

It’s hard to miss the iconic Eero Saarinen–designed silhouette of Dulles.

When Dulles airport opened in a rural area of northern Virginia in the early 1960s, its expansive property was seen as a drawback; 30 miles from the capital, Beltway insiders regarded it as something of a white elephant, despite its striking Eero Saarinen–designed terminal.

Now, it’s a budding aerotropolis with a large number of technology companies and defense contractors nearby. A major hub for United Airlines, the airport has nonstop flights to 100 domestic and 67 international destinations, including Addis Ababa, São Paulo, and—as part of United’s new routes for 2027—Toulouse, France. Driving to Dulles from the district used to mean a solid hour in traffic, but a 2022 Metro line expansion sees the Silver line running from Metro Center in 50 gridlock-free minutes.

Houston’s main air hub is a testament to planning for future growth.

Photo by Julie Soefer/George Bush Intercontinental Airport

In the late 1950s, when Houston civic leaders purchased land for a new airport, they were already thinking big—and in the ensuing decades its real estate was expanded to its present size. George Bush Intercontinental Airport Houston now features five runways that can handle a high number of long-distance flights to Latin America and beyond, with Houston serving as a main hub for United Airlines.

The airport is in the midst of major renovations, redoing everything from a new lobby in Terminal E, the installation of Clear automated e-gates, and a $2.5 billion overhaul of Terminal B; expected to finish before the end of this year, the new Terminal B will include a 54,000-square-foot United Club, the airline’s largest, as well as a new baggage claim hall and an expanded security checkpoint to help travelers get through TSA more quickly.

In September 2026, the Houston City Council approved $229.9 million in funding for seven future projects at IAH, including improvements to parking and stormwater systems.

Kansas City was well prepared to host six World Cup matches this past summer, having opened an all-new international terminal in March 2023. The airport’s 40 gates and 48 shops and restaurants—80 percent of which are owned by locals rather than chains—saw 1,152,775 soccer-mad passengers come through in July 2026, a nearly 5 percent increase year on year.

Kansas City International Airport now has nonstop routes to more than 50 destinations, including Cancun, Seattle, and New York City. An inclusive play area beckons kids of every age and ability and a sensory room is open to travelers who may feel overwhelmed by the noise and crowds that accompany air travel. MCI also has a colorful collection of three dozen paintings, glass pieces, installations, and sculptures.

PIT’s 36,000 square foot courtyard — one of four planned to open — is planted with native trees and grasses.

Courtesy Allegheny County Airport Authority

A completely reimagined Pittsburgh International Airport opened its doors right before Thanksgiving 2025, after a $1.7 billion decade of planning and four years of construction. Designed by Gensler—the firm behind JetBlue’s lounge at JFK, among many other airport projects—the new PIT now accommodates 15 airlines flying to some 60 destinations.

Travelers can pass more quickly through 12 TSA security checkpoints, up from 7 in the old terminal, and then wander among more than three dozen artworks and installations, including a 400-pound mobile from lauded Pennslvania-born artist Alexander Calder. A 36,000-square-foot terrace opened in July 2026; pre-security and open to all, it has native trees and grasses, walking paths, and seating. This is the first of four terraces, with plans to open one more land-side and two more after security.

The least busy of the 11 largest airports in the USA, Tucson International Airport served under 4 million passengers in 2025 (compared to 4.6 million at slightly smaller OKC). Six airlines fly 19 direct routes from TUS to destinations like Salt Lake City, Atlanta, and Las Vegas. Since 2023, the airport has been undergoing a $400 million–plus Airfield Safety Enhancement Program, which involves replacing an 8,400-foot-long runway with one that’s 11,000 feet long (as well as wider), adding airfield lighting, and upgrading drainage infrastructure.

Travelers can expect business as usual inside the 21-gate airport, where more than 100 pieces by artists living in and around Tucson—including Sonora, Mexico—hang throughout ticketing, baggage claim, and the concourse. Look for Susan Gamble’s mosaic murals in Concourse A and B and Another Way to Fly, glass artist Thomas Philabaum’s large-scale installation, hanging from the ticketing area’s ceiling.

Oklahoma City’s airport (OKC) is named for William Rogers, an early 20th-century Cherokee Nation actor and comedian.

Expect lots of improvements in the coming years at Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma City, one of Afar’s picks for where to travel in 2025. Early 2026 saw the completion of an 80,000-square-foot aircraft hangar to accommodate up to three Boeing 737s undergoing maintenance. The airport has plans to build a new parking structure and then tear down the current two-level garage in front of the airport, with completion before the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles; Oklahoma City is hosting softball and canoe slalom events. Arrivals and departures will then temporarily move to ground level while ticketing and baggage claim areas are reconfigured.

OKC currently has nonstop flights to 28 destinations—27 domestic cities, including Orlando, Chicago, and Nashville, plus Cancún, Mexico, for much-needed warm-weather escapes.

Straight off the plane and straight for the slopes—Salt Lake City International Airport is less than an hour from world-class skiing in and around Park City, Utah.

Photo by James Udall/Salt Lake City International Airport

Salt Lake City International Airport, a major hub for Delta Air Lines, has been completely rebuilt since 2020 as part of a four-phase, $5.1 billion undertaking. This massive project has seen the airport’s original 1960s buildings demolished, replaced by a single, streamlined central terminal with two concourses. When works finally wrap at the end of October 2026, SLC will have 94 gates in total. Nearly 12 miles of piles, 65,000 tons of steel, and 780,000 tons of concrete support the airport’s new structure.

Delta has been rolling out direct flights from SLC, including to Lima, Peru (in December and January only), Flagstaff, Arizona, and Moab, Utah, gateway to Arches National Park.

Related: The 15 Largest Airports in the World—and More Than Half Are in the USA

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