The world’s busiest airport is Atlanta, once again
Once again – and perhaps to no surprise – Atlanta reigns supreme as the busiest airport in the world.
In 2022, about 93.7 million people traveled through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), a 23.8% increase in passenger traffic from 2021, according to a report released by the Airports Council International.
Atlanta was the busiest airport for 22 consecutive years until it lost the title to China’s Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) in 2020 due to the pandemic. During the height of the pandemic in 2020, China’s airports took up seven of the top 10 rankings.
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However, Atlanta regained its status as the world̵[ads1]7;s busiest airport in 2021.
As in 2021, US airports dominated this year’s rankings, accounting for half of ACI’s list. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Denver International Airport (DEN) took second and third place, respectively.
Dallas Fort Worth saw about 73 million passengers last year, while Denver had 69 million passengers. The other two US airports on the list were Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), ranked No. 4, and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), ranked No. 6 on the list.
U.S. airports dominated ACI’s rankings for the past two years due to an increase in domestic travel that came faster than in other regions.
However, international airports gained ground in 2022, accounting for half of the top 10. Last year, US airports took eight of the 10 spots in ACI’s report.
London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR), Dubai International Airport (DBX), Istanbul Airport (IST), Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) also made the list, marking an improvement in international travel , which has largely lagged behind domestic travel.
“While US airport hubs were able to recover faster due to their strong domestic market, we are now witnessing global hubs joining the upper ranks,” said Luis Felipe de Oliveira, director general of ACI World.
Travel is still catching up to pre-pandemic levels, but US airline CEOs expect strong demand for travel to continue into 2023. The only airport on the list that had more passengers in 2022 compared to 2019 was Denver.
“While we continue to march cautiously forward amid several headwinds that could affect the speed and scope of global air traffic recovery, the latest rankings represent an important milestone in reaching pre-pandemic levels,” de Oliveira added.
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