Think Military Road, Punt Road and Coro Drive get busy? Then how’s this for traffic? Welcoming nearly 100 million passengers, Atlanta’s Hartfield-Jackson International was the world’s busiest airport in 2022, new data has revealed.
According to figures released by the Airports Council International (ACI), the Georgian airport saw some 93.7 million passenger movements during the year, easily making it the world’s busiest air travel hub.
In total, five of the world’s top 10 busiest airports are US hubs, with Dallas-Fort Worth (73.4 million passengers) the world’s second busiest airport, followed by Denver (third, 69.3 million), Chicago (fourth, 68.3 million) and Los Angeles (sixth, 65.9 million). The top four airports also remain unchanged from 2021.
The busiest non-US airport was Dubai (fourth), which welcomed 66.1 million passengers.
ACI also named Dubai the world’s busiest international airport (based on international passengers only), as the Gulf hub retained its spot at the top of the global rankings.
London Heathrow (58.2 million passengers) was the second busiest international airport, followed by Amsterdam (52.5 million), Paris (51.8 million) and Istanbul (48.5 million).
The top ten airports for total passenger numbers accounted for 10 per cent of global traffic and closed 2022 with an 85.9 per cent recovery versus 2019 results.
Meanwhile, total passenger traffic for 2022 reached nearly 7 billion movements. A 73.8 per cent recovery from 2019, the result shows how the industry still has some way to go before reaching, let alone surpassing, pre-pandemic levels.
Reflection of Resilience
ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said the recovery of air travel demand would not be possible without the ongoing work of airports.
“The new top 10 busiest airports for passenger traffic reflects the resilience of the airport and aviation industry and the eagerness of passengers to travel by air,” he said.
“While US airport hubs were able to recover quicker due to their strong domestic market, we are now witnessing global hubs joining upper ranks—including Dubai, Istanbul, and London Heathrow Airport.
“While we continue to march forward cautiously amidst multiple headwinds that could impact the speed and magnitude of global air traffic recovery, the latest rankings represent an important milestone in reaching pre-pandemic levels.
“The re-opening of China, the second largest aviation market after the US, is now expected to bring an overall gain, both domestically and for international travel.”
Meanwhile, Australia’s airports are bracing for a travel onslaught over the upcoming Easter holiday period.
