Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport remained the world’s busiest airport by passenger traffic in 2017.
Preliminary figures from Airports Council International show that nearly 104 million passengers used Atlanta’s airport last year. The airport benefits from being within a two-hour flight of roughly 80 percent of the U.S. population and serves as a major international gateway. Despite a slight 0.26 percent dip in passenger numbers, Hartsfield-Jackson held onto the top position.
Following Atlanta in the rankings were Beijing Capital International Airport, Dubai International Airport, Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and Los Angeles International Airport. India’s Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi recorded the largest jump, climbing six places from 22nd to 16th.
Overall passenger traffic at the world’s 20 busiest airports grew by 5.2 percent in 2017. Together, those airports handled nearly 1.5 billion travelers, accounting for about 17 percent of global passenger traffic.
Globally, air travel expanded as well. ACI reported a 6.6 percent increase in total passengers and an 8.4 percent rise in international passengers during 2017.
“The surge in cargo volumes and passenger numbers across many of the world’s airports is a testament to heightened business and consumer confidence, at least in the short term,” said ACI World’s director general Angela Gittens. “The world’s airports continue to be a vital link in the economic multiplier effect that aviation provides and the role it plays as an enabler for global commerce is growing.”
She added that connecting people, businesses and places remains essential to the aviation sector, even as some major economies face pressures that could slow market liberalization.