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South Korea’s Incheon International Airport has emerged as the world’s busiest airport for international passenger traffic during the first half of 2026, as disruptions caused by the Iran conflict have reshaped global air travel.
According to preliminary figures from the Airports Council International (ACI), Incheon handled 38.39 million international passengers between January and June 2026. London’s Heathrow ranked second with 37.79 million passengers, while Singapore Changi recorded 34.53 million.
The achievement marks the first time Incheon has topped the international passenger rankings since opening in 2001. Its international passenger traffic increased by 6.3% year-on-year.
A major factor behind the growth has been disruption across Middle Eastern aviation routes. The conflict involving Iran has reduced traffic through major regional hubs, including Dubai, prompting some airlines and passengers to use alternative routes through East Asia.
Incheon has also benefited from growing tourism from China and Japan. Foreign passengers accounted for 39.3% of the airport’s traffic during the first half of 2026, compared with 35.2% for all of 2025. The figure rose to a record 44.4% in the second quarter.
The airport now serves 101 airlines connecting South Korea with 183 cities, including 158 international passenger destinations. An expansion completed in late 2024 increased its annual capacity to 106 million passengers.
The changing aviation landscape has also affected European airports. Istanbul recently overtook Heathrow as Europe’s busiest airport by total passenger traffic, while Heathrow reported a decline in Middle East capacity amid the regional conflict.
