Rapidly growing air travel in Asia and India is pushing new names up the list of world’s busiest airports, although Atlanta, with a third straight year of over 100 million passengers is still tops. It’s the only airport ever to top that number.
The Airport Council International’s rankings show that Beijing is getting close, at 95.8 million, up 1.5% over the previous year. Dubai, #3 at 88.2 million, grew by 5.5%. At present growth rates, it could be number one in three years.
Asian airports with big growth include New Delhi, with 14.1%, Xian Xianyang 13.1%, Kuala Lumpur 11.2% and Guangzhou 10.2%. Only four of the world’s busiest airports saw drops, including a slight drop in Atlanta, and also at Miami and Houston. The only other loser was Rome’s FCO. And a surprise ranking drop: Even though its passenger numbers rose, New York’s JFK fell off the top 20. Last year it ranked 16th.
| Ranking | Airport | Passengers in 2017 | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta | 103.9m | -0.3 |
| 2 | Beijing | 95.8m | 1.5 |
| 3 | Dubai | 88.2m | 5.5 |
| 4 | Tokyo Haneda | 85.4m | 6.5 |
| 5 | Los Angeles | 84.6m | 4.5 |
| 6 | Chicago O’Hare | 79.8m | 2.4 |
| 7 | London Heathrow | 78m | 3 |
| 8 | Hong Kong | 72.7m | 3.4 |
| 9 | Shanghai | 70m | 6.1 |
| 10 | Paris Charles de Gaulle | 69.5m | 5.4 |
| 11 | Amsterdam | 68.5m | 7.7 |
| 12 | Dallas/Fort Worth | 67.1m | 2.3 |
| 13 | Guangzhou | 65.9m | 10.3 |
| 14 | Frankfurt | 64.5m | 6.1 |
| 15 | Istanbul | 63.9m | 6 |
| 16 | New Delhi | 63.5m | 14.1 |
| 17 | Jakarta | 63m | 8.3 |
| 18 | Singapore Changi | 62.2m | 6 |
| 19 | Seoul Inchoen | 62.2m | 7.5 |
| 20 | Denver | 61.4m | 5.3 |
Dubai’s airport. Photo: Konstantin von Wedelstaedt/Wikimedia
