The airports that saw the most passenger traffic last year have been revealed by the Airports Council International (ACI) World.
ACI World collects airport traffic every year through its global network of airport operator members, investors, and aviation stakeholders. The dataset reveals airport passenger, cargo, and aircraft movement rankings for over 2,700 airports across more than 185 countries and territories.
The key findings of the dataset from last year confirm total global passenger traffic for 2023 was close to 8.7 billion, driven by a continued resurgence in international traffic. This is an increase of 30.5% from 2022 and a recovery of 94.2% from pre-pandemic results (2019). The growth was propelled by several factors, including the anticipated benefits from the reopening of the Asian markets and a growing inclination towards travel despite macroeconomic conditions.
The top 20 airports, representing 16% of global traffic (1.41 billion passengers), witnessed a lower gain of 26.4% from 2022, but a better recovery of 96.8% from 2019 (1.46 billion passengers in 2019).
Maintaining its spot from last year, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport ranked first, with 104.6 million passengers. Dallas Forth Worth (DFW) was outranked by Dubai, which saw 5 million passengers more, taking second place this year.
The biggest changes in the top 20 were seen by former top rankers from China and South Korea. China’s Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, which last year was in the 58th position, jumped all the way up to 12th, almost recovering its 11th spot from before the pandemic. The biggest jump however was South Korea’s Incheon International Airport, which made it at number 20 this year, from the 99th position last year, but still lagging 21% behind 2019 figures when it was 14th on the list.
The dataset findings indicate that the demand for air travel is as strong as ever.
Luis Felipe de Oliveira , ACI World Director General and CEO
“International passenger traffic has now almost fully recovered from the pandemic, and the regional disparities are gone. China’s reopening fuelled much of 2023’s strong growth and has propelled Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport back into the Top 20. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport continues to lead the way, but the revival of Middle East and Asia-Pacific hubs is the standout takeaway from 2023 figures”, ACI World Director General and CEO Luis Felipe de Oliveira commented on the findings.
Atlanta International Airport (ATL) also topped the ranking for aircraft movements, with 776,000 movements, representing a recovery of 85.8% from its 2019 results of 904,000 movements. Chicago O’Hare took 2nd place after leading ATL in 2018 and 2019, followed by DFW. Eleven airports from the top 20 rankings are in the United States.
The biggest jump in the top 20 rankings was recorded for China’s Shanghai airport (PVG). The airport improved its ranking from the 83rd position in 2022 to 18th in 2023, but was still 15.2% below pre-pandemic results, when it ranked 11th in the world.
