Summary
- LAX is the most Instagrammable airport with 3,393,690 hashtags, thanks to iconic views and a sunny climate.
- SFO ranks second globally with 1,047,624 Instagram posts, showcasing modern architecture and art-filled terminals.
- LHR is among the most photographed airports and is busy with international connections and expansion plans.
Airports are evolving from simple transportation hubs to visually attractive places passengers love sharing on social media. It may sound strange, but some airports have long been attracting tourists from all over the world precisely because of their internet fame for their beauty, particularly on Instagram.
A recent survey conducted by Miss Tourist identified the most Instagrammed airports globally. The survey provided information about which tourist destinations attract visitors’ interest and cameras from all over the world.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
LAX is the most Instagrammable airport in the world, with an astounding 3,393,690 Instagram hashtags. The airport’s distinctive runway layout and unique architecture (like the Theme Building) provide excellent views of planes flying low overhead, producing iconic photos with the Los Angeles cityscape in the background.
This is especially true given the proximity of public places like the well-known In-N-Out Burger on runway 24R.
Los Angeles also has an ideal climate, with clear skies and bright lighting practically all year round, especially at sunset. However, Los Angeles International Airport’s
plans for expansion have been put on hold
after passenger traffic forecasts revealed that growth through 2028 is less than expected.
San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Second place goes to San Francisco International Airport (SFO), which has more than a million Instagram posts. SFO’s modern architecture and art-filled terminals have made it popular among travelers, as evidenced by the 1,047,624 Instagram posts that tag the airport.
With the opening of “SFO Celebrates: Your SF Experience,” on March 1, 2023, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) also extended an invitation to visitors to submit their best San Francisco photographs in order to have them displayed in a gallery located in Terminal 3.
Passengers could participate by tagging @FlySFO in images they shared on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #YourSF. A few pictures were on show all year long.
In the wake of the pandemic, this effort, along with reduced flight volume, minimized weather-related delays, and improved traveler experience, helped SFO restore its reputation across the country. Travelers joyfully shared their amazing airport experiences on Instagram, which saw a spike in engagement as a result of these enhancements.
London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Given its status as a major international hub, LHR is among Instagram’s most often photographed airports. Heathrow Airport is the primary international airport serving London, located 14 miles west of Central London. It has two east-west runways and four operational passenger terminals (Terminals 2 to 5), along with one cargo terminal.
Heathrow remains the busiest airport in Europe and the
second busiest in the world in terms of international passenger traffic
. In 2023, it had the most international connections anywhere.
Recent enhancements to the airport have included the unveiling in June 2014 of Terminal 2 by the Spanish architect Luis Vidal. It houses 24 gates and plenty of restaurants and shops, adding to its popularity on Instagram.
Currently, Heathrow is pursuing plans for a third runway, which were approved in 2016 but challenged in court on environmental grounds. The Supreme Court recently removed a ban to allow expansion efforts to proceed.
For over a decade, LHR Airport housed the G-CONC, which was a 40 % size replica of a British Airways Concorde,
later replaced in 2008 by an Emirates Airbus A380 model.
Heathrow also maintains a resident press corps that captures the airport’s meaningful moments, thereby increasing its presence on Instagram and other social media.
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)
In fourth position comes Kuala Lumpur International Airport, with 600,336 posts on Instagram. It features a unique modern design mixed with nature. KLIA is famous for its indoor lush greenery called the Jungle Boardwalk, and it received 47 million passengers in 2023. It is located 45 kilometers south of Kuala Lumpur and is the biggest and busiest airport in Malaysia.
It has been extensively developed, from the opening of Terminal 2 in 2014, to the current expansion of a new satellite terminal at Terminal 2 to reach the ultimate capacity of 97.5 million passengers annually. KLIA is part of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad and also serves as a base for airlines like Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia.
Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)
Situated 15 mi (24 km) east from downtown Singapore, Singapore Changi Airport serves more than 100 airlines and connects to over 400 cities around the world.
The airport operates three 2,5 mi (4 km) runways with four primary passenger terminals. One of them is the famous Jewel Changi Airport: a mixed-use development with an indoor waterfall, referred to as “Rain Vortex,” being the tallest indoor waterfall in the world.
Nature-inspired design called The Jewel, which opened in April 2019, bumps up the cool factor of this airport and is fast becoming a photogenic stop on social media. Currently, Changi
is developing Terminal 5
and a third runway, which should increase capacity quite substantially by the mid-2030s.