Dubai International Tops OAG Global Ranking for International Seats in November

London Heathrow came second with about 3.79 million international seats. That leaves Dubai roughly 680,000 seats ahead, a lead equal to about 18% of Heathrow's capacity, Al Bayan said.

The Rest of the Top Ten

Seoul's Incheon came third with about 3.70 million international seats, followed by Singapore Changi with 3.58 million and Amsterdam Schiphol with 3.25 million. Hong Kong had 3.19 million, Istanbul 3.16 million, Paris Charles de Gaulle 3.08 million, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi 2.82 million and Frankfurt 2.65 million.

The ranking changes when domestic flights are included. On total scheduled seats, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta leads in November with 5.07 million, followed by Chicago O'Hare with 4.64 million and Tokyo Haneda with 4.54 million. Dubai is fourth on that measure, with the same 4.47 million figure, because nearly all of its traffic is international. Airports in large domestic markets, such as Atlanta, Chicago and Tokyo, gain from internal travel that Dubai does not have.

Recovery After a Difficult Year

November's figure is higher than in recent months. In September, OAG counted 4.34 million departing international seats at DXB, Gulf News reported at the time, which was about 15% below September 2025, even though Dubai still ranked first. Gulf News also reported that regional airspace restrictions disrupted aviation in the first half of 2026 and that DXB's passenger traffic fell 31.3% year on year over that period, before recovering as airlines brought capacity back.

Heathrow's gap to Dubai has also widened. It had about 4.07 million international seats in September, compared with 3.79 million in November.

Why It Matters

Seat capacity shows how many seats airlines have scheduled, not how many passengers actually flew, but it is a useful early guide to how fast connectivity is returning. Dubai's position as a transfer hub supports tourism, hospitality, trade, logistics and business travel in the emirate, and a lasting rise in scheduled capacity would point to recovery for those sectors after this year's regional disruption.