Top 10 (Worldwide) Busiest Passenger Airports in 2023
Airports Council International (ACI) has released the 2023 top busiest global passenger airports. The ACI airport rankings are based on data gathered from over 2,600 airports across more than 180 countries. Global passenger traffic reached nearly 8.7 billion in 2023, a 30.5% increase from the 2022 and a 94.2% recovery from pre-pandemic numbers.
Global air travel in 2023 was chiefly fuelled by the international segment, propelled by several factors. Among these were the anticipated benefits from China’s reopening and a growing inclination towards travel despite macroeconomic conditions. While perennial leaders from the US continue to dominate the top 10 busiest airports for passengers, notably Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport retaining its number one position, there are notable shifts. Dubai International Airport jumped to second rank for the first time, while Tokyo Haneda International Airport witnessed a remarkable ascent from 16th position in 2022 to 5th in 2023. Additionally, the unwavering strength of Istanbul and New Delhi airports keep them in top ranks, marking significant progress over 2019.- Luis Felipe de Oliveira (ACI World Director)
2023 Aircraft Movements
| Airport (Code) | Movements | 2022 Rank | 2022 Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta (ATL) | 775,818 | 1 | 7.1% |
| Chicago (ORD) | 720,582 | 2 | 1.3% |
| Dallas (DFW) | 689,569 | 3 | 5% |
| Denver (DEN) | 657,218 | 4 | 8.1% |
| Las Vegas (LAS) | 611,806 | 7 | 5.3% |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 575,097 | 6 | 3.3% |
| Charlotte (CLT) | 539,066 | 7 | 6.6% |
| Istanbul (IST) | 505,968 | 10 | 18.8% |
| New York (JFK) | 481,075 | 9 | 7.2% |
| Tokyo (HND) | 464,910 | 18 | 19.8% |
Combined, the top ten airports had 6,021,109 operations (landings and takeoffs), which resulted in a 6.1% increase from 2022.
2023 Passengers Traveled
| Airport (Code) | Passengers | 2022 Rank | 2022 Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta (ATL) | 104,653,451 | 1 | 11.7% |
| Dubai (DXB) | 86,994,365 | 5 | 31.7% |
| Dallas (DFW) | 81,755,538 | 2 | 11.4% |
| London (LHR) | 79,183,364 | 8 | 28.5% |
| Tokyo (HND) | 78,719,302 | 16 | 56.4% |
| Denver (DEN) | 77,837,917 | 3 | 12.3% |
| Istanbul (IST) | 76,027,321 | 7 | 18.3% |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 75,050,875 | 6 | 13.8% |
| Chicago (ORD) | 73,894,226 | 4 | 8.1% |
| Delhi (DEL) | 72,214,841 | 9 | 21.4% |
Combined, among the top ten airports, there were 806,331,200 passengers who traveled (enplaned and deplaned), which is an 18.7% increase from 2022.
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Closing Thoughts
The increase in air travel shows strong growth, especially internationally, with both Dubai (DXB) and Tokyo Haneda (HND) moving up in the top 10 rankings. The almost 19% increase in passenger traffic is a good indicator showing recovery from pre-pandemic numbers. From a lounge standpoint, this additional number of passengers will result in an increase in lounge crowding.