Top 10 Busiest Cargo Airports in the World
Hong Kong just topped the cargo airport rankings for the 15th time since 2010 — here’s ACI World’s official 2025 tonnage data for 2026 planning.
Global air cargo volumes reached almost 128.9 million tonnes in 2025, up 2.9% year-over-year, but that growth concentrates heavily at the top: the 10 busiest cargo airports handle close to 26% of all global air cargo traffic, and the top 20 handle roughly 42%. Here’s the Airports Council International’s official preliminary 2025 ranking, released April 2026.
1. Hong Kong International (HKG)
Topped the ranking again at approximately 5,070,256 metric tonnes — the 15th time HKG has led the global cargo table since 2010, a run of dominance no other airport comes close to matching. Its central Asian location puts roughly half the world’s population within a five-hour flight radius.
2. Shanghai Pudong International (PVG)
Handled approximately 4.10 million tonnes, remaining mainland China’s most important international air cargo hub and a critical export gateway for the Yangtze River Delta manufacturing region.
3. Ted Stevens Anchorage International (ANC)
Reached approximately 3.85 million tonnes, functioning as a strategic long-haul transfer point between Asian and North American cargo networks rather than an origin or destination hub itself.
4. Louisville Muhammad Ali International (SDF)
Climbed to fourth position at approximately 3.40 million tonnes, built around UPS’s global sorting hub operations.
5. Miami International (MIA)
Jumped roughly 13.6% into fifth position at approximately 3.13 million tonnes, driven by strong Latin American trade flows, perishables, pharmaceuticals, and regional freight specialization.
6. Memphis International (MEM)
Slipped to sixth position at approximately 2.97 million tonnes despite remaining home to the FedEx Express global super-hub, which processes hundreds of aircraft nightly across more than 300,000 square meters of sorting and warehouse space capable of handling 600,000 packages per hour.
7. Incheon International (ICN)
Reached approximately 2.95 million tonnes, anchoring South Korea’s position as a major Northeast Asian cargo gateway.
8. Hamad International (DOH)
Doha’s hub handled a substantial and growing share of Middle East cargo traffic, reinforcing Qatar Airways Cargo’s aggressive network expansion strategy.
9. Guangzhou Baiyun International (CAN)
Pushed into the top ten for 2025, reflecting continued growth in Pearl River Delta manufacturing export volume.
10. Taiwan Taoyuan International (TPE)
Rounds out the top ten, serving as a significant cargo gateway for Taiwan’s electronics and technology manufacturing exports.
What This Means for Procurement Teams
Node type should drive routing strategy, not just tonnage rank. The rankings cluster into three distinct node types — Asian manufacturing gateways (Hong Kong, Shanghai), integrator express hubs (Memphis, Louisville), and long-haul transfer points (Anchorage) — understanding which type your freight routes through tells you most of what matters about cost and risk.
Integrator super-hubs trade cost for predictability. For deadline-critical freight, routing through integrator hubs where one carrier controls the entire chain (Memphis for FedEx, Louisville for UPS) typically costs more but delivers tighter reliability — a real tradeoff worth making explicitly rather than defaulting to whichever hub is geographically closest.
Miami’s rise signals a genuine regional shift. A 13.6% jump driven by Latin American trade, perishables, and pharmaceuticals suggests procurement teams with Latin America-linked supply chains should evaluate Miami routing more seriously than historical rankings might suggest.
FAQ
How is cargo airport ranking measured?
Airport cargo throughput is measured in metric tonnes of freight and mail handled during the reporting year — a throughput measure, not a measure of cargo value or airline revenue, and rankings are for individual airports, not airline networks.
Why has Hong Kong remained the top cargo airport for 15 years?
Hong Kong’s central Asian geography puts roughly half the world’s population within a five-hour flight, combined with extensive cargo terminal infrastructure and connectivity, giving it a durable structural advantage over competing hubs.
Why did Memphis slip in the rankings despite being FedEx’s global hub?
While Memphis remains central to FedEx’s sorting and redistribution operations, its overall ranking position has been affected by relative growth at other airports like Miami and Louisville, even as its absolute tonnage remains substantial.
Sources
- Air Cargo News, Hong Kong Retains Busiest Cargo Airport Title
- GetTransport, World’s Busiest Cargo Airports 2026 (Ranked by Tonnage)
- StatRanker, Top 10 Airports by Cargo Volume, 2026
- iContainers, World’s Busiest Cargo Airports for Air Freight
- Private Jets Connect, Top 20 Largest Cargo Airports in the World 2026