Global passenger traffic increased by 9%

Last year, global airport passenger traffic increased by 9%, reaching 9.5 billion people. According to official data from the Airports Council International (ACI), this number is approximately 3.8% higher than the levels seen before the pandemic in 2019.

The airport with the highest passenger traffic in the world, combining both domestic and international flights, was once again the “Hartsfield-Jackson” airport in Atlanta. It served 108.1 million passengers, which is a 3.3% increase compared to 2023.

The second busiest airport was Dubai International Airport, serving 92.3 million passengers (up by 6.1%), followed by the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in the U.S. with 87.8 million passengers (a 7.4% increase). Tokyo’s Haneda Airport moved up to the fourth spot with 85.9 million passengers (a 9.1% increase), while London Heathrow ranked fifth with 83.9 million passengers (up by 5.9%).

Other airports that made the top ten include Denver, Istanbul, Chicago, and New Delhi. Shanghai's Pudong Airport was one of the fastest-growing, with 76.8 million passengers. Despite ranking 21st in 2023, it made it into the top ten in 2024, showing a 41% growth.

According to ACI, the top ten busiest airports globally account for about 9% of total passenger traffic, which equals 855 million passengers. This is an 8.8% increase compared to 2023 and an 8.4% increase compared to 2019. With this growth rate, ACI forecasts a 4.8% increase in global passenger numbers by the end of 2025, reaching 9.9 billion.

In 2024, the volume of cargo transported by air also increased by 8.4%, reaching 124 million tons, which is 3.9% higher than in 2019.

Hong Kong International Airport ranked first in cargo transportation with 4.94 million tons, a 14.1% increase compared to 2023. Shanghai followed in second place with 3.78 million tons (+9.8%), while Memphis ranked third with 3.75 million tons, showing a 3.3% decrease compared to the previous year.

The number of flights and arrivals is expected to reach around 100 million in 2024, which is a 4.3% increase compared to last year. However, this number still falls short of 2019 levels by 2.6%.

Currently, ACI represents 2,180 airports in 170 countries worldwide.