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Airports Council International (ACI) World released its annual rankings of the world’s busiest airports and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) once again took home the crown. Geopolitical and economic challenges didn’t hamper the flights going to and from this list and the top ranking airports have positioned themselves for continued future growth.
Global traffic continues to grow with 2024 seeing almost 9.5 billion passengers. This represents 9% more than 2023 and a 3.8% increase from pre-pandemic levels in 2019. The top 10 busiest airports represent 9% of global traffic (855 million passengers) and saw 8.8% growth from 2023 and a gain of 8.4% over their 2019 results (789 million passengers).
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) kept its top position, followed by Dubai International Airport (DXB), and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in third. Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR) swapped places for numbers four and five, respectively. Rounding out the top 10 were Denver International Airport (DEN), Istanbul Airport (IST), Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), and Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG).
Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) is perhaps the most notable as it jumped from 21st in 2023 to number 10 in 2024. Expanded visa policies, the resumption of international flights, and the traffic recovery across Asia all helped to fuel this massive leap.
In 2025, global passenger traffic is forecasted to reach 9.9 billion (4.8% year-over-year growth). Passenger demand continues to be strong, but the pace of expansion is expected to slow as markets shift from recovery-driven surges to structural, long-term growth patterns.
Anthony’s Take: Delta’s fortress hub continues to dominate global airports. It’s interesting to see Dallas, Chicago, and Denver continue to be such strong airports with year-over-year growth.
(Image Credits: Skyler Smith via Unsplash and Airports Council International (ACI) World.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
