Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport remained the busiest airport in the world for passenger traffic in 2022, according to a new report from the Airports Council International (ACI) World.
The trade association’s report, which ranks the top 10 busiest airports globally for 2022, welcomes back some of the world’s largest airport hubs as international traffic returns. The group said its latest ranking also marks an important milestone in air travel’s full recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Passenger Stats
Preliminary figures indicate that with the resumption of international travel, 2022 global passenger traffic reached close to 7 billion, representing an increase of 53.5% from 2021, or a 73.8% recovery from 2019 results.
The top 10 airports for total passenger traffic, representing 10% of global traffic, witnessed a gain of 51.7% from 2021, amounting to 85.9% recovery vis-à-vis their 2019 results.
Holding their positions from 2021, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL, 93.7 million passengers, +23.8%) is at the top of the 2022 rankings; followed by Dallas Fort Worth Airport (DFW, 73.4 million passengers, +17.5%); Denver Airport (DEN, 69.3 million passengers, +17.8%); and Chicago O’Hare Airport (ORD, 68.3 million passengers, +26.5%).
From the top 10 airports globally, five are in the United States. They all have significant domestic passenger shares (between 75% and 95% domestic traffic).
Airports reinstated in the upper ranks also include Dubai Airport achieving 5th rank (DXB, 66.1 million passengers, +127%); Istanbul Airport reaching 7th position (IST, 64.3 million passengers, +73.8%); followed by London Heathrow Airport, Delhi Airport, and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in the 8th, 9th, and 10th spots, respectively.
The biggest jump in the top 10 was recorded for London Heathrow. The airport improved its ranking from the 54th position as borders reopened in March 2022 after two years of closures.
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