Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is, once again, the busiest airport in the world.
The airport, which is Delta Air Lines’ largest hub, processed more than 108 million passengers in 2024, according to a report published today by Airports Council International World.
However, that’s still some 2% fewer passengers than the airport processed in 2019.
The number of passengers at the second-busiest airport in the world — Dubai International Airport — climbed nearly 7% last year from pre-pandemic levels, the ranking showed.
The airport also tops a separate list that analyzes airports that process the most international passengers. In 2024, some 92.3 million passengers — all international — passed through its doors.
In 2024, global passenger traffic hit a record high, with some 9.4 billion people traveling by air, according to the report. That’s about 8.4% more passengers than in 2023, and 2.7% more than in 2019, it said.
The busiest airports in the world, by total passengers, are:
1. Atlanta, USA (ATL) – 108.1 million
2. Dubai, United Arab Emirates (DXB) – 92.3 million
3. Dallas/Fort Worth, USA (DFW) – 87.8 million
4. Tokyo, Japan (HND) – 85.9 million
5. London, U.K. (LHR) – 83.9 million
6. Denver, U.S. (DEN) – 82.4 million
7. Istanbul, Turkey (IST) – 80.1 million
8. Chicago, U.S. (ORD) – 80 million
9. New Delhi, India (DEL) – 77.8 million
10. Shanghai, China (PVG) – 76.8 million
11. Los Angeles, U.S. (LAX) – 76.6 million
12. Guangzhou, China (CAN) – 76.4 million
13. Incheon, Korea (ICN) – 71.2 million
14. Paris, France (CDG) – 70.3 million
15. Singapore (SIN) – 67.7 million
The busiest airports in the world, by international passengers, are:
1. Dubai, UAE (DXB) – 92.3 million
2. London, U.K. (LHR) – 79.2 million
3. Incheon, Korea (ICN) – 70.7 million
4. Singapore (SIN) – 67.1 million
5. Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) – 66.8 million
6. Paris, France (CDG) – 64.5 million
7. Istanbul, Turkey (IST) – 63 million
8. Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) – 56.2 million
9. Hong Kong (HKG) – 52.9 million
10. Doha, Qatar (DOH) – 52.7 million
11. Bangkok, Thailand (BKK) – 50.3 million
12. Madrid, Spain (MAD) – 48.7 million
13. Taipei, Taiwan (TPE) – 44.7 million
14. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (KUL) – 41.9 million
15. Barcelona, Spain (BCN) – 40.7 million
In addition to Dubai International Airport, other airports that are processing significantly more passengers than in 2019, include:
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) – No. 3 (from No. 10 in 2019)
- Denver International Airport (DEN) – No. 6 (from No. 16)
- Istanbul Airport (IST) – No. 7 (from No. 28)
- Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) – No. 9 (from No. 17)
The United States has six airports in the top 20 list. For the first time since the pandemic, three airports in China — Shanghai (PVG), Guangzhou (CAN), and Beijing (PEK) — are back in the top 20 ranking.
Despite ranking among the world’s busiest airports, major airports in seven cities have yet to see the number of pre-Covid passengers return, including Atlanta (-2.2%), Chicago (-5.4%), Los Angeles (-13%), Paris (-7.7%), Singapore (-0.9%), Beijing (-32.6%), Amsterdam (-6.8%) and Bangkok (-4.9%).
Global passenger traffic is forecast to grow to 9.9 billion in 2025, despite persistent industry challenges related to economic uncertainty, geopolitical airspace closures and aircraft manufacturing delays, Airports Council International said.
—CNBC’s Kaela Ling contributed to this report.
