Hong Kong moved 5.07 million tonnes of freight in 2025 to stay the world's busiest cargo airport, while Memphis — the long-time champion — fell to sixth after the steepest drop in the top ten.
Quick answer: 1. Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), 2. Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), 3. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC), 4. Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF), 5. Miami International Airport (MIA), 6. Memphis International Airport (MEM), 7. Incheon International Airport (ICN), 8. Hamad International Airport (DOH), 9. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE), 10. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN).
The world's busiest passenger airports and its busiest cargo airports are almost entirely different places. Freight rankings are decided by express-parcel superhubs, semiconductor exporters and refuelling waypoints, not by holiday traffic — which is how Anchorage, a city of under 300,000 people, ends up third in the world. This list ranks the ten airports that handled the most air cargo in 2025, using Airports Council International's preliminary 2025 rankings released in April 2026. It's for anyone tracking supply chains, e-commerce flows or the air freight market — the tonnage here is loaded and unloaded freight and mail, not passengers.
Hong Kong handled 5,070,256 tonnes in 2025, breaking the 5 million mark and extending a run at the top of the cargo table that began in 2010. Its three-runway system, completed in 2024, and its position on the doorstep of Pearl River Delta manufacturing keep it the default transshipment point between China and the rest of the world.
Pudong grew 8.6% to 4,096,016 tonnes, the fastest growth of any airport in the top three. It is mainland China's principal international freight gateway, and the cross-border e-commerce boom out of China has pushed its volumes well above pre-pandemic levels.
Anchorage handled 3,854,614 tonnes, almost none of which is destined for Alaska. It sits close to the great-circle route between East Asia and North America, so freighters stop to refuel and swap loads — a technical advantage that makes a small city one of the three busiest freight airports on Earth, with FedEx and UPS both running major facilities there.
Louisville climbed to fourth on 3,396,437 tonnes after 13.5% growth. It exists in this ranking because of one tenant: UPS Worldport, the company's global air hub, where packages arrive overnight, are sorted automatically and leave again within hours.
Miami grew 13.6% to 3,128,165 tonnes, the biggest percentage gain in the top ten, lifting it from seventh to fifth. It is the main air bridge between the United States and Latin America and specialises in perishables — cut flowers, fresh fruit and seafood move north through Miami in enormous volumes.
Memphis fell 20.9% to 2,969,502 tonnes, by far the sharpest decline in the top ten, dropping it from third to sixth. Home of the FedEx SuperHub, Memphis was the world's busiest cargo airport for most of the 1990s and 2000s and as recently as 2020.
Seoul's Incheon was essentially flat at 2,954,684 tonnes, up 0.3%. Its freight mix leans heavily on high-value electronics — semiconductors, displays and components shipped by air because they are light, valuable and time-critical — and it is the cargo hub for Korean Air.
Doha held its position with 2,614,214 tonnes, down a negligible 0.1%. It is the base of Qatar Airways Cargo, one of the largest international air freight carriers in the world, and works as a mid-point connecting Asia, Africa and Europe on a single stop.
Taoyuan rose 10.1% to 2,499,899 tonnes, moving up a place to ninth. Taiwan's semiconductor exports travel almost entirely by air, which ties the airport's freight volumes closely to the global chip cycle; China Airlines and EVA Air both run freighter fleets from here.
Guangzhou handled 2,439,248 tonnes, up 2.4%. It serves the Pearl River Delta, the densest concentration of export manufacturing on the planet, and is the main hub of China Southern Airlines.
| # | Name | IATA code | Country or territory | Change vs 2024 | 2024 rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) | HKG | Hong Kong SAR, China | +2.7% | 1 |
| 2 | Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) | PVG | China | +8.6% | 2 |
| 3 | Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) | ANC | United States | +4.2% | 4 |
| 4 | Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) | SDF | United States | +13.5% | 5 |
| 5 | Miami International Airport (MIA) | MIA | United States | +13.6% | 7 |
| 6 | Memphis International Airport (MEM) | MEM | United States | -20.9% | 3 |
| 7 | Incheon International Airport (ICN) | ICN | South Korea | +0.3% | 6 |
| 8 | Hamad International Airport (DOH) | DOH | Qatar | -0.1% | 8 |
| 9 | Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) | TPE | Taiwan | +10.1% | 10 |
| 10 | Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) | CAN | China | +2.4% | 9 |
Airports are ranked by total air cargo handled in calendar year 2025 — loaded and unloaded freight plus mail, in metric tonnes, counted once per airport — as published in Airports Council International's preliminary 2025 world airport traffic rankings (released 14 April 2026). ACI is the airport industry's own trade body and collects the figures directly from operators, so its dataset is the standard reference; where media reports differ slightly, ACI's number is the one used here. Figures are preliminary and are typically revised by a fraction of a percent when ACI publishes final data later in the year. Percentage changes compare with ACI's 2024 final figures. Airport systems serving one metro area (for example, the several New York or London airports) are counted separately, not combined.
Almost none of Anchorage's freight is for Alaska. The airport sits near the shortest flight path between East Asia and North America, so long-haul freighters land to refuel and transfer loads before continuing. Cargo counted there is mostly passing through, and both FedEx and UPS run large operations at the airport.
Memphis handled 2,969,502 tonnes in 2025 against 3,754,236 tonnes in 2024 — a 20.9% fall, the only double-digit decline in the top ten — which moved it from third to sixth. It remains the site of the FedEx SuperHub and was the world's busiest cargo airport as recently as 2020.
No. The two rankings barely overlap. Cargo tonnage rewards express-parcel superhubs and manufacturing gateways, so airports such as Louisville and Anchorage rank near the top here while appearing nowhere near the passenger list.
ACI reported that global air cargo volumes passed 131 million tonnes in 2025, up 3.3% on 2024. The top 20 cargo airports together handled 53.1 million tonnes, about 41% of the global total.
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