Preliminary traffic figures from global airports grouping ACI World show air passenger numbers climbed to almost 7 billion last year, up 53.5% on 2021.
That is the equivalent of 73.8% of the passenger numbers ACI reported across airports in 2019, before the pandemic.
ACI World figures confirm that Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International airport was again the busiest airport in the world in 2022, handling just under 94 million passengers. The Delta Air Lines’ hub has long held that position, with the notable exception being during pandemic-hit 2020, when Chinese airport Guangzhou – boosted by the early reopening of the large Chinese domestic market that year – led the way.
Atlanta is one of five US airports to feature among the six busiest by passenger numbers last year, reflecting the strength of the USA's air travel recovery and the size of the country's domestic market.
| Rank 2022 | Rank 2019 | City | Airport | Country | 2022 (000) | Change v 2021 | Change v 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source: ACI World | |||||||
| 1 | 1 | Atlanta | Hartsfield-Jackson International | USA | 93,699 | 24% | -15% |
| 2 | 10 | Dallas/Fort Worth | International | USA | 73,363 | 18% | -2% |
| 3 | 16 | Denver | International | USA | 69,286 | 18% | 0% |
| 4 | 6 | Chicago | O’Hare International | USA | 68,341 | 27% | -20% |
| 5 | 4 | Dubai | International | UAE | 66,070 | 127% | -24% |
| 6 | 3 | Los Angeles | International | USA | 65,924 | 37% | -25% |
| 7 | 28 | Istanbul | International | Turkey | 64,289 | 74% | 20% |
| 8 | 7 | London | Heathrow | UK | 61,615 | 218% | -24% |
| 9 | 17 | Delhi | Indira Gandhi International | India | 59,490 | 60% | -13% |
| 10 | 9 | Paris | Charles de Gaulle | France | 57,474 | 119% | 25% |
The latter point is underlined by no US airport being among the 10 top airports last year by international passengers traffic only. Dubai, the fifth biggest airport overall last year with 66 million passengers, was 2022's top international hub. Heathrow was runner up, with the vast majority of its 61 million passengers travelling on international flights. Seven European airports were among the 10 busiest hubs by international passengers last year.
| 2022 | 2019 | City | Airport | Country | 2022 (000) | Change v 21 | Change v 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Souce: ACI World | |||||||
| 1 | 1 | Dubai | International | UAE | 66,070 | 127% | -24% |
| 2 | 2 | London | Heathrow | UK | 58,243 | 231% | -23% |
| 3 | 3 | Amsterdam | Schiphol | Netherlands | 52,467 | 106% | -27% |
| 4 | 6 | Paris | Charles de Gaulle | France | 51,764 | 129% | -26% |
| 5 | 14 | Istanbul | International | Turkey | 48,522 | 83% | 23% |
| 6 | 8 | Frankfurt | Main | Germany | 44,771 | 97% | -29% |
| 7 | 11 | Madrid | Barajas | Spain | 36,231 | 136% | -19% |
| 8 | 15 | Doha | International | Qatar | 35,727 | 102% | -8% |
| 9 | 7 | Singapore | Changi | Singapore | 31,902 | 953% | -53% |
| 10 | 13 | London | Gatwick | UK | 30,145 | 502% | -30% |
ACI World director general Luis Felipe de Oliveira says: "While US airport hubs were able to recover quicker due to their strong domestic market, we are now witnessing global hubs joining upper ranks – including Dubai, Istanbul and London Heathrow airport.
"While we continue to march forward cautiously amidst multiple headwinds that could impact the speed and magnitude of global air traffic recovery, the latest rankings represent an important milestone in reaching pre-pandemic levels. The re-opening of China, the second largest aviation market after the US, is now expected to bring an overall gain, both domestically and for international travel.”
