In 2022, the global aviation industry saw a recovery in passenger traffic, with close to 7 billion passengers, according to the Airports Council International (ACI).
However, the industry was still impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ACI released the top ten busiest airports worldwide for 2022.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) remains the world’s busiest overall, and Dubai International (DXB) is the world’s busiest international hub.
Total Passenger Traffic
The top ten airports for total passenger traffic represented 10% of global traffic and closed in 2022 with an 85.9% recovery versus pre-pandemic 2019 results.
Atlanta’s Hartfield-Jackson International remained the world’s largest hub with 93.7 million passengers in the year.
Compared to 2021, Atlanta, Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), Denver (DEN), and Chicago O’Hare (ORD) remained the top four airports in the world.
Dubai International reached the number 5 position, which last year belonged to Los Angeles (LAX).
The last four spots (seven to ten) of 2021’s top ten did not crack this year’s list.
These airports were Orlando (MCO), Guangzhou (CAN), Chengdu (CTU), and Las Vegas (LAS).
Instead, Istanbul, London, New Delhi, and Paris became the top ten as borders opened.
ACI said that the biggest jump in the top ten was recorded for London Heathrow (LHR) which improved its ranking from the 54th position in 2021.
International Passengers’ Results
Dubai International retained its spot as the world’s busiest international airport, receiving 66.06 million travelers, a 127% increase versus 2021 levels.
This was still 23.5% below pre-pandemic traffic trends.
Amsterdam Schiphol retained its spot as the number three globally, and Paris was number four.
London Heathrow soared back to the international top ten.
Last year, the number two busiest international airport was Istanbul, which this year fell to the fifth position.
In 2021, some odd airports cracked the top ten busiest international hubs, including Antalya International and Cancun International.
This year, none of these two hubs cracked the top ten.
FAQs
- Which airport is the world’s busiest overall?
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is the world’s busiest overall airport.
- Which airport is the world’s busiest international hub?
- Dubai International (DXB) is the world’s busiest international hub.
- How many passengers were there in 2022?
- Close to 7 billion passengers traveled globally
