In May 2025, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China based Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific & Middle East (APAC &MID) released its latest ‘Air Connectivity Ranking 2024’. As per the report, Dubai International Airport topped (DXB), located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), ranked 1st in Air Connectivity in 2024.
- The 2025 edition of the report also features a newly introduced ‘Hub Connectivity Index’, in which Dubai International Airport (DXB) secured the top position. Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), located in New Delhi (Delhi) and designated by the airport code DEL, was ranked 10th on the list of hub airports with strong connectivity leadership for 2024.
About ACI APAC & MID’s Air Connectivity Ranking:
i.It is a comprehensive passenger-centric analytical tool developed in partnership with PwC in 2023 and revamped for its 3rd edition in 2025.
ii.It reviews the overall level of air passenger connectivity offered by airports across the APAC and MID regions.
iii.It evaluates the performance based on 3 key parameters: network scale and frequency, economic weight of destinations, and connection quality and efficiency.
Top 5 Airports in Airports in Air Connectivity in 2024
| Rank | Airport Code | Airport Name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DXB | Dubai International Airport | The United Arab Emirates (UAE) |
| 2 | PVG | Shanghai Pudong International Airport | China |
| 3 | ICN | Incheon International Airport | South Korea |
| 4 | DOH | Hamad International Airport | Qatar |
| 5 | CAN | Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport | China |
Top 5 Airport Hubs in Connectivity Leadership in 2024:
| Rank | Airport Code | Airport Name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DXB | Dubai International Airport | The United Arab Emirates (UAE) |
| 2 | PVG | Shanghai Pudong International Airport | China |
| 3 | DOH | Hamad International Airport | Qatar |
| 4 | ICN | Incheon International Airport | South Korea |
| 5 | CAN | Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport | China |
| 10 | DEL | Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) | India |
Key Highlights:
i.As per the data of the report, Both APAC and MID regions witnessed a 14% Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) growth, mainly driven by robust international demand, strong network recovery of airlines, and the re-establishments of major travel corridors.
- The report highlighted that APAC and MID region witnessed a significant of 13% and 28%, respectively in overall connectivity compared to 2023.
ii.The report further revealed that 80% of the top 300 airports have full recovered connectivity levels, with major hubs leading due to increase on international travel.
iii.Among the top 10 airport hubs in APAC & MID in 2024, two airports are in China i.e. Guangzhaou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) and Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK), ranked at 5th and 6th spot on the list, respectively.
iv.Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) emerged as the most improved airport in air connectivity in APAC and MID regions in 2024.
v.Top 3 Most Connected Airports in MID region in 2024: Dubai International Airport (1st), Hamad International Airport (2nd) and King Abudulaziz International Airport (JED) (3rd).
vi.Top 3 Most Connected Airports in APAC region in 2024: Shanghai Pudong International Airport (1st), Incheon International Airport (2nd) and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (3rd).
Hub Connectivity Index:
The ‘Hub Connectivity Index’ which evaluates an airport’s ability to operation as an international transfer point.
- This assessment is based on factors like: viable transfer windows, route deviation from direct flight paths, and the strength of onward connectivity.
City Connectivity Index:
i.The latest edition features a new City Connectivity Index which provides analysis of airport city clusters.
ii.The inaugural index is topped by Greater Bay Area which includes Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macau cluster.
- It is followed by Tokyo (Japan) (2nd), Shanghai (China) (3rd), Beijing (China) (4th) and Seoul (South Korea) (5th).
iii.As per the index, large urban agglomerations like: Beijing and Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macau have witness a substantial improvement of connectivity through effective use of secondary airports.
iv.Also, cities like: Seoul, Bangkok Thailand (6th) and Taipei (9th) lead in per capita accessibility, offering exceptional connectivity relative to population size.
About Airports Council International Asia-Pacific & Middle East (ACI APAC &MID):
Director-General (DG) – Stefano Baronci
Headquarters-Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China
