When you think of airports, what memories come to mind?
The day you first flew.
The excitement of a departure lounge at the start of a trip.
The day you saw someone off.
The moment you returned home after a long time away.
If you have visited Japan, you may remember the airport where your journey began.
If you are planning a visit, there may already be an airport you are curious about.
Where does the airport you are curious about rank in Japan?
Explore Japan’s airports through the rankings
Enter an airport name, or use voice search. Switch between total, domestic and international passengers and the years 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2024 to explore changes in passenger numbers and rankings.
The national ranking shows the top 25 airports. Select a region to see every airport there with recorded passenger traffic. You can also search by name for airports outside the top 25.
| Rank | Airport | Annual passenger movements | Region |
|---|
Annual passenger movements (boardings plus alightings; international figures also include transit passengers), not counts of unique people. Heliports are excluded. Only positive counts are ranked. Select an airport for four-year details.
Source: Airport Management Status Report (MLIT). Processed and ranked by Visible World by Data.
Once you find an airport that interests you, locate it on the map too. What differences might you notice when comparing it with airports in your own country?
What the numbers reveal about Japan’s airports
Hokkaido, Kyushu and Okinawa stand out in domestic traffic
In 2024, Tokyo’s Haneda led the domestic passenger ranking, followed by New Chitose in Hokkaido, Fukuoka in Kyushu and Naha in Okinawa. New Chitose recorded about 20.44 million annual passenger movements, Fukuoka 18.43 million and Naha 18.21 million.
Hokkaido lies in northern Japan, Kyushu in the southwest, and Okinawa comprises islands farther to the southwest. Looking at these leading airports on a map invites us to consider not just city size, but also travel distances and geography.
Fukuoka overtakes Chubu in international traffic
Chubu Centrair International Airport serves as a gateway to the Nagoya area, while Fukuoka Airport serves Kyushu. In 2019, Chubu ranked fourth in Japan for international passengers and Fukuoka fifth. By 2024, their positions had reversed: Fukuoka was fourth and Chubu fifth.
Fukuoka’s international passenger count rose from about 6.40 million to 8.32 million, while Chubu’s fell from about 6.78 million to 4.59 million. Does your impression of an airport change when you switch the year or compare domestic and international traffic?
The Osaka area has both Kansai International Airport and Osaka International Airport (Itami). Together, they recorded about 45.76 million total passengers in 2024. Compared with individual airports, that combined figure would place them second in Japan, behind Haneda. This is an illustrative comparison of the two airports combined, not an official ranking of a single airport.
Shall we explore the rankings and maps together to learn more about an airport you remember, or one you would like to visit?
Understanding the data and sources
Passenger figures are annual passenger movements from January through December, rather than counts of unique people. Boardings and alightings are added together, and international figures also include transit passengers.
Heliports are excluded. Each ranking includes only airports recording at least one passenger in the selected year and category. The number of eligible airports therefore varies: the 2021 international ranking shows all 10 airports with recorded traffic. A zero passenger count alone does not mean flights were suspended or the airport was closed.