The Airports Council International (ACI) World has published the latest ACI World Airport Traffic Dataset, confirming the top 20 busiest airports in the world in 2023. As global travel recovered from the pandemic’s impact, total global passenger traffic in 2023 reached close to 8.7 billion, representing an increase of 30.5 percent from 2022 or a recovery of 94.2 percent from pre-pandemic results in 2019.
Notably, the top 20 busiest airports in the world represent 16 percent of global traffic, or 1.41 billion passengers. Those airports witnessed a gain of 26.4 percent from 2022 or a recovery of 96.8 percent from 2019.
Top 20 busiest airports in the world
Here is the latest list of the 20 busiest airports in the world:
1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, U.S.
The busiest airport in the world saw an 11.7 percent annual increase to over 104.5 million passengers in 2023.
2. Dubai International Airport, UAE
Dubai International Airport was the second busiest airport in the world and welcomed close to 87 million passengers, a 31.7 percent increase compared to 2022
3. Dallas Fort Worth. U.S.
Dallas Fort Worth’s passenger traffic rose 11.4 percent in 2023 to 81.7 million passengers.
4. London Heathrow Airport, U.K.
London Heathrow, the world’s 4th busiest airport, witnessed a 28.5 percent increase in passenger traffic to 79.1 million in 2023.
5. Haneda Airport, Japan
Haneda Airport’s passenger traffic surged by 55.1 percent in 2023 to 78.7 million passengers.
6. Denver International Airport, U.S.
The Denver International Airport, the 6th busiest airport in the world, witnessed a 12.3 percent rise in passenger traffic to 77.8 million.
7. Istanbul Airport, Türkiye
Istanbul Airport’s passenger traffic surged 18.3 percent in 2023 to 76 million.
8. Los Angeles International Airport, U.S.
LAX saw a 13.8 percent increase in passenger traffic to 75 million.
9. Chicago O’Hare International Airport, U.S.
The Chicago O’Hare International Airport, the 9th busiest airport in the world, saw an 8.1 percent increase in passenger traffic to 73.8 million.
10. Indira Gandhi International Airport, India
India’s largest airport saw a 21.4 percent surge in passenger traffic to 72.2 million.
11. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, France
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport recorded a 17.3 percent increase in passenger traffic to 67.4 million.
12. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport saw a 142 percent surge in passenger numbers to 63.1 million in 2023.
13. John F. Kennedy International Airport, U.S.
New York’s John F. Kennedy recorded a 13 percent rise in passenger numbers to 62.4 million.
14. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Netherlands
Amsterdam’s Airport Schiphol, the 14th busiest airport in the world, saw an 18 percent increase in passenger traffic to 61.8 million.
15. Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, Spain
The 15th busiest airport in the world witnessed an 18.9 percent rise in passenger numbers to 60.1 million in 2023.
16. Frankfurt Airport, Germany
Meanwhile, Frankfurt Airport recorded a 21.3 percent surge to 59.3 million passengers in 2023.
17. Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore
Singapore’s Changi Airport witnessed remarkable growth in 2023, recording an 83.1 percent growth in passenger numbers to 58.9 million.
18. Orlando International Airport, U.S.
The 18th busiest airport in the world witnessed a 15.1 percent rise in passenger numbers to 57.7 million.
Read: World’s 10 largest airports by land area in 2024
19. Harry Reid International Airport, U.S
Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport reported a 9.4 percent rise in passenger traffic to 57.6 million in 2023.
20. Incheon International Airport, South Korea
Finally, South Korea’s Incheon International Airport saw the biggest jump in the top 20 rankings, rising from 99th in 2022 to the 20th spot in 2023. The airport saw a 213.8 percent surge in passenger traffic to 56.2 million.
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