Soekarno-Hatta International Airport — Jakarta, Indonesia

Named jointly for Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta, the proclaimers of Indonesian independence in 1945, this sprawling complex west of central Jakarta in Tangerang handles more passengers than any other airport in Southeast Asia and serves as the primary hub for Garuda Indonesia and the low-cost giant Lion Air. Its earlier terminals, designed by the French architect Paul Andreu, wrapped passenger areas around open-air tropical gardens, a distinctly Indonesian answer to the usual sealed concourse, while a newer terminal added far greater capacity as traffic outgrew the original design. Jakarta's notorious road congestion makes the airport's rail and toll-road links unusually important, and cargo operations here move everything from electronics to the palm oil and textiles that drive much of Indonesia's export economy. Soekarno-Hatta anchors a nation of thousands of islands, funneling both domestic connections to remote provinces and long-haul international routes to the Middle East, East Asia, Australia, and Europe through a single metropolitan gateway.