Passenger traffic at the world's 20 busiest airports increased 5.2 percent year over year in 2017, led by sharp increases at airports in India and China, according to Airports Council International.
20 Busiest Airports by 2017 Passengers
- Atlanta
- Beijing
- Dubai
- Haneda (Tokyo)
- Los Angeles
- O'Hare (Chicago)
- Heathrow (London)
- Hong Kong
- Shanghai
- Charles de Gaulle (Paris)
- Amsterdam
- Dallas-Fort Worth
- Guangzhou
- Frankfurt
- Istanbul
- New Delhi
- Jakarta
- Singapore
- Incheon (Seoul)
- Denver
Source: Airports Council International
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International remained the world's busiest in terms of passenger traffic despite the only decline in traffic among the top 20 airports, at 0.3 percent. The number of North American airports on that list, however, declined to five as New York's John F. Kennedy International fell out of the top 20, supplanted by a 14.1 percent increase in traffic at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.
India's aviation industry is blossoming, and in less than a decade, the nation likely will overtake the U.K. as the third-largest aviation market, according to the International Air Transport Association. Several other Indian airports are among the fast growing in the world, including Kolkata at 26.9 percent, Hyderabad at 19.6 percent, Bangalore at 12.9 percent and Madras at 10.5 percent, ACI reported.
China's air traffic also continues to grow. Beijing Capital International Airport already is the second busiest in the world, and passenger traffic at Guangzhou traffic rose 10.3 percent year over year, the second-largest growth among the top 20 airports. Other Chinese airports with significant passenger growth in 2017 included Tianjin at 24.5 percent, Nanjing at 15.5 percent, Xi'an at 13.2 percent and Hangzhou at 12.6 percent.
The four North American airports joining Atlanta in the top 20 all saw passengers grow in 2017 but most also dropped in the rankings. Los Angeles International, which grew 4.5 percent, fell to fifth behind Tokyo's Haneda. Chicago O'Hare International stayed steady at sixth with 2.4 percent growth. Dallas-Fort Worth International, which grew 2.3 percent, fell to 12th behind Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Denver International, which grew 5.3 percent, fell two spots to 20th behind the ascendant New Delhi and Seoul's Incheon International.