The World’s Busiest Airports
The airports with the highest number of embarking and disembarking passengers in 2023 have largely regained their pre-pandemic momentum, with Istanbul, Denver and Dallas-Fort Worth climbing 21, 10 and seven spots, respectively, to their current ranks. Four of the eight airports in the top list can be found in the United States. According to data released by industry association Airports Council International (ACI) in July 2024, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson was and remains the airport with the highest volume of passenger traffic. The airport served 105 million passengers in the past year, down five percent compared to 2019 figures. Overall passenger figures, however, are still marginally below their 2019 level.
ACI analysts saw 2023 passenger levels at 94.3 percent of the pre-pandemic year 2019, with a projection based on current trends putting passenger numbers at 104 percent for 2024 and 129 percent for 2029. In total, the ACI estimates a global volume of 8.7 billion passengers for 2023, up from 6.7 billion in 2022, with a domestic flight share of 59 percent. By 2025, the passenger volume is expected to cross the ten billion mark.
Other sources utilizing different methodologies paint a more conservative picture, even though the basic trend line shows a similar development. The airline interest group International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimated 4.4 billion scheduled passengers for 2023 in their December 2024 factsheet, with 2024 figures rising by around 500 million to roughly five billion. According to Kalliopi Lazari, Senior Communications Specialist at the IATA, the forecast "comprises total traffic, both domestic and international, and includes connecting traffic".