What are top 10 busiest airports in the world by cargo traffic?

In the past 2 years, the COVID-19 outbreak has hit airports hard. The number of both air passengers and air cargo falls sharply since the end of 2019. Airports worldwide already experienced a big shuffling. So what's the ranking of the busiest airports in the world now? The following list is based on figures from Airports Council International (ACI) and displays the top 10 busiest airports in the world by tonnes of cargo traffic in 2020.

Rank	IATA Code	Airport	Country/Region	Cargo Traffic (2020)
1	MEM	Memphis International Airport	United States	4,613,431 tonnes
2	HKG	Hong Kong International Airport	Hong Kong, China	4,468,089 tonnes
3	PVG	Shanghai Pudong International Airport	China	3,686,627 tonnes
4	ANC	Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport	United States	3,157,682 tonnes
5	SDF	Louisville International Airport	United States	2,917,243 tonnes
6	ICN	Incheon International Airport	South Korea	2,822,370 tonnes
7	TPE	Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport	Taiwan, China	2,342,714 tonnes
8	LAX	Los Angeles International Airport	United States	2,229,476 tonnes
9	DOH	Hamad International Airport	Qatar	2,175,292 tonnes
10	MIA	Miami International Airport	United States	2,137,699 tonnes

1. Memphis International Airport (MEM)

Memphis International Airport (IATA: MEM, ICAO: KMEM) is the primary international airport serving Memphis, Tennessee, United States. From 1993 to 2009, Memphis had the largest cargo operations of any airport worldwide. MEM dropped to the second position in 2010, just behind Hong Kong. However, it remained the busiest cargo airport in the United States and in the Western Hemisphere, until 2020, when it once again became the world's busiest cargo handling airport due to the surge in ecommerce partly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is home to the FedEx Express global hub, often referred to as the FedEx Superhub or simply the Superhub, which processes many of the company's packages. Cargo traffic in 2020: 4,613,431 tonnes Compared with 2019: 6.7% increased

2. Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)

Hong Kong International Airport (IATA: HKG, ICAO: VHHH) is Hong Kong's main airport, built on reclaimed land on the island of Chek Lap Kok. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or Chek Lap Kok Airport. Hong Kong International Airport is one of the largest trans-shipment centre, passenger hub and gateway for destinations in China and Asia. The airport is the world's busiest cargo gateway and one of the world's busiest passenger airports. It is the primary hub for Cathay Pacific (the flag carrier of Hong Kong), Hong Kong Airlines, HK Express and Air Hong Kong (cargo carrier). Cargo traffic in 2020: 4,468,089 tonnes Compared with 2019: 7.1% decreased

3. Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG)

Shanghai Pudong International Airport (IATA: PVG, ICAO: ZSPD) is one of the two international airports in Shanghai and a major aviation hub of East Asia. Pudong Airport serves both international flights and a smaller number of domestic fights, while the city's other major airport, Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, mainly serves domestic and regional flights in East Asia. The airport is the main hub for China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines, and a major international hub for Air China, as well as a secondary hub for China Southern Airlines. It is also an Asia-Pacific cargo hub for FedEx, UPS and DHL. Cargo traffic in 2020: 3,686,627 tonnes Compared with 2019: 1.4% increased

4. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (IATA: ANC, ICAO: PANC) is a major airport in the U.S. state of Alaska, located 5 miles (8 km) southwest of downtown Anchorage. The airport is named for Ted Stevens, a U.S. senator from Alaska in office from 1968 to 2009. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is a major cargo hub. In 2020, it ranked as the United States' third-busiest airport and the world's fourth-busiest airport by cargo traffic. A reason is that cargo aircraft between China or Japan and the US prefer to have less fuel and more cargo and refuel on the way. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport was briefly the busiest in the United States due to sustained volume of cargo flights through Alaska while passenger travel sharply decreased in other American airports. Cargo traffic in 2020: 3,157,682 tonnes Compared with 2019: 15.0% increased

5. Louisville International Airport (SDF)

Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (IATA: SDF, ICAO: KSDF), formerly known as simply Louisville International Airport, is a civil-military airport in Louisville in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Its IATA airport code, SDF, is based on the airport's former name, Standiford Field. It has no regularly-scheduled international passenger flights, but it is a port of entry, as it handles numerous international cargo flights through the United Parcel Service's worldwide air hub through its airline, often referred to as UPS Worldport. The airport is the third-busiest in the United States in terms of cargo traffic, and fifth-busiest for such in the world. Cargo traffic in 2020: 2,917,243 tonnes Compared with 2019: 4.6% increased

6. Incheon International Airport (ICN)

Incheon International Airport (IATA: ICN, ICAO: RKSI) (sometimes referred to as Seoul–Incheon International Airport) is the largest airport in South Korea. It is the main hub for Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, and Polar Air Cargo. The airport serves as a hub for international civilian air transportation and cargo traffic in East Asia. The airport's average departure and arrival take 19 minutes and 12 minutes respectively, as compared to worldwide average of 60 minutes and 45 minutes, ranking it among the fastest airports in the world for customs processing. The airport was constructed to share the demand for air transport in the 21st century and to serve as a hub airport in Northeast Asia. Cargo traffic in 2020: 2,822,370 tonnes Compared with 2019: 2.1% increased

7. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE)

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (IATA: TPE, ICAO: RCTP) is an international airport serving Taipei and northern Taiwan. The airport is Taiwan's largest and busiest airport. It is an important regional trans-shipment center, passenger hub, and gateway for destinations in Asia. There are two air cargo terminals in the airport: one operated by Taiwan Air Cargo Terminals Limited and the other operated by Evergreen Air Cargo Services. Cargo traffic in 2020: 2,342,714 tonnes Compared with 2019: 7.4% increased

8. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

Los Angeles International Airport (IATA: LAX, ICAO: KLAX) is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its surrounding metropolitan area. It is also the only airport to rank among the top five U.S. airports for both passenger and cargo traffic. LAX is the closest airport to the Westside and the South Bay, located in the Westchester neighborhood of Los Angeles, 18 miles (30 km) southwest of Downtown Los Angeles. As the largest and busiest international airport on the U.S. West Coast, LAX is a major international gateway to the United States, and also serves a connection point for passengers traveling internationally. Cargo traffic in 2020: 2,229,476 tonnes Compared with 2019: 6.6% increased

9. Hamad International Airport (DOH)

Hamad International Airport (IATA: DOH, ICAO: OTHH) is a major international airport located in Doha, the capital city of Qatar. New Hamad International Airport (NDIA) is situated located about 4 km southeast of downtown Doha. At the forefront of global load shipment, innovations are the new facility at HIA that commenced its operations on 1st December 2013. Current shipment takes up 55,000 sq meters capacity is 1.4m tonnes annually. After the second cargo terminal is applied, the whole capacity increases to 2.5m tonnes annually, Cargo warehouse has 24 hydraulic dock levelers and six ramps, the components of Freight distribution are 80% transit, 15% import, and 5% export. Cargo traffic in 2020: 2,175,292 tonnes Compared with 2019: 1.8% decreased

10. Miami International Airport (MIA)

Miami International Airport (IATA code: MIA, ICAO code: KMIA) is the pivotal airport serving in the Miami area. With over 1,000 daily flights to 167 domestic and international destinations, MIA is Florida's busiest airport by total aircraft operations and total cargo traffic and its second busiest by total passenger traffic after Orlando. The airport is American Airlines' third largest hub and serves as its primary gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean. It is South Florida's main airport for long-haul international flights and a hub for the Southeastern US, with passenger and cargo flights to cities throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. It is the largest gateway between the US and south to Latin America and the Caribbean, and is one of the largest airline hubs in the US. Cargo traffic in 2020: 2,137,699 tonnes Compared with 2019: 2.2% increased