Airports Council International (ACI) World has published its 2024 airport rankings, confirming that Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) remains the busiest airport worldwide. Atlanta welcomed 108.06 million passengers over the year, maintaining its lead over Dubai International Airport (DXB), which recorded 92.2 million travelers.
Other U.S. airports in the rankings include Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) with 87.8 million travelers, Denver International Airport (DEN) with 82.3 million passengers, and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) with 80.43 million travelers. Istanbul Airport (IST) slightly edged out O’Hare, serving 80.73 million passengers.
Globally, aside from ATL and DXB, the list features Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) with 85.9 million travelers, London Heathrow Airport (LHR) with 83.8 million, Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) with 77.8 million, and Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) with 76.786 million.
Justin Erbacci, Director General of ACI World, praised the resilience of the largest global airports amid economic and geopolitical challenges. He explained that these hubs play key roles in trade, commerce, and connectivity. Despite obstacles, such as supply chain issues and aircraft delivery delays, the air travel market is expected to continue growing in 2025, with ACI prepared to support its members.
The association noted threats like tariffs and geopolitical tensions could disrupt global trade and indirectly affect travel demand. Nevertheless, as global air traffic is projected to hit 9.9 billion in 2025, ACI cited potential slowdowns due to more stable growth patterns replacing surge-driven recovery.
Emerging markets, on the other hand, could experience expansion due to infrastructure investments and growing middle-class travel demand. According to ACI, the industry will need to focus on financial viability, infrastructure investment, operational efficiency, and sustainability.
Looking ahead, data from Cirium’s Diio Mi tool anticipates Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta providing 64.1 million one-way seats in 2025, with Dubai following at 61.2 million. Tokyo-Haneda potentially rounds out the top three with 55.3 million scheduled seats. These figures remain subject to change, especially with carriers like Frontier Airlines yet to finalize post-August schedules.
