It’s not just you: Airports really are getting busier.
Close to 104 million passengers passed though Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 2017, making it the world’s busiest passenger airport for another year.
That’s according to 2017 travel data released Thursday by Airports Council International.
Globally, there were significant increases in passenger numbers, air cargo traffic and total aircraft movements.
Major connecting hub
The report, which was released Friday, credited the Atlanta airport’s location as a major connecting hub and port of entry into North America for its continued dominance. Atlanta is within a two-hour flight of 80% of the United States population of more than 300 million people, the report noted.
The city is within a two-hour flight of 80% of the United States population of more than 300 million people.
However, that could change by next year. Atlanta was the only airport among the top 20 busiest airports for passengers to see a decrease in passenger traffic last year, with a small drop of 0.3%.
While Beijing has long nipped at the heels of the Atlanta airport, which has held the top spot for 18 years, the Chinese capital’s airport came in second place again with 89.9 million passengers (a 4.4% increase).
The overall news is also good for the world’s airports.
Worldwide passenger traffic increased 6.4% in 2015 to almost 7.2 billion, with increases in all the world’s six regions: Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America-Caribbean, Middle East and Africa.
International passenger numbers were up 8.6% globally.
Worldwide cargo traffic, including mail, rose 2.6%. The world’s largest air cargo hub remains Hong Kong, China. The US city of Memphis, Tennessee, took the second spot, followed by Shanghai, China.
Worldwide aircraft movements increased 3% in 2017 to 95.8 million.
ACI’s figures and percentages from the annual report are based on data from more than 2,300 airports in 160 countries worldwide.
Dubai handled most international traffic in 2015
The international airport to watch is Dubai.
Of the fastest-growing top 30 airports with over 15 million passengers, 16 are located in those two countries.
The top three contributors to global passenger traffic growth are China, the United States and India.
“Global passenger traffic has reached record levels as airports continued to make a crucial contribution to furthering economic development and global connectivity,” said Angela Gittens, ACI World’s director general.
The world’s busiest airports 2017
1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Georgia) – 104 million passengers
2. Beijing Capital International Airport (China) – 96 million
3. Dubai International Airport (United Arab Emirates) – 88 million
4. Tokyo Haneda International Airport (Japan) – 85 million
5. Los Angeles International Airport (California) – 84.6 million
6. Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (Illinois) – 80 million
7. London Heathrow Airport (United Kingdom) – 78 million
8. Hong Kong International Airport (China) – 73 million
9. Shanghai Pudong International Airport (China) – 70 million
10. Aéroport de Paris-Charles de Gaulle (France) – 69 million
11. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (Netherlands) – 68.5 million
12. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (Texas) – 67 million
13. Guangzhou Bai Yun International Airport (China) – 66 million
14. Frankfurt Am Main Airport (Germany) – 64.5 million
15. Atatürk International Airport (Turkey) – 64 million
16. Indira Gandhi International Airport (India) – 63.5 million
17. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Indonesia) – 63 million
18. Singapore Changi Airport (Singapore) – 62.22 million
19. Incheon International Airport (South Korea) – 62.16 million
20. Denver International Airport (Colorado) – 61 million