Atlanta is back on top as the busiest airport in the world after dropping one spot last year as global air travel continues its rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic.
There were nearly 4.5 billion global flight passengers in 2021, an increase of nearly 25% from the prior year, according to figures released Monday by Airports Council International World, an industry group. However, that is still down about 50% from 2019.
The world's 10 busiest airports, which represent about 10% of all global traffic, transported 463 million passengers in 2021, a 52% increase from 2020, according to ACI World. That is a 29% drop off from 2019.
In the U.S., eight airports made it to the top 10 for passenger traffic last year. By comparison, seven of the top 10 busiest airports in 2020 were located in China as demand for global travel collapsed during the start of the pandemic.
"The new flight stats show an encouraging trend of recovery, with most of the recurrent busiest airports pre-Covid-19 back at the top," said Luis Felipe de Oliveira, ACI World's director general. "Although we are cautious that recovery could face multiple headwinds, the momentum created by reopening plans by countries could lead to an uptick in travel in the second half of 2022."
None of the top 10 airports last year have returned to prepandemic levels.
Flight traffic has improved as nations around the world have relaxed Covid-19 travel restrictions such as testing and vaccination rules.
Airlines have said demand for travel has picked back up following the winter wave of Omicron-variant-driven Covid-19 infections. Passengers are even willing to pay more for plane tickets, airlines said.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, however, has disrupted travel plans for many Russian citizens as the ruble collapsed. Western sanctions have meant many Russians can no longer use their credit cards.
Fewer Chinese citizens are traveling because of China's Covid-19 restrictions, including strict lockdowns, that have dented the global travel industry.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport pushed out Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in southern China to regain its prepandemic position as the world's busiest airport, with 75.7 million passengers in 2021. That was a 76% increase from the previous year but still lags behind 2019's figures by 32%.
For its part, Guangzhou Baiyun fell to eighth on the list, with 40.3 million passengers in 2021, an 8% decline from 2020 and down 45% from 2019.
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport came in second, and Denver International Airport was the third-busiest airport.
Dallas had 62.5 million passengers, a 59% increase from the previous year and down 17% from 2019. Denver had 58.8 million passengers, a 74% jump and a 15% decline from 2019.
Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport both rejoined the top-10 list in 2021 after falling out in 2020.
Fourth-place O'Hare had 54 million passengers, a 75% increase from 2020 and a 36% decrease from 2019. Fifth-place Los Angeles had 48 million passengers, a 67% jump from the prior year and a 46% decline from 2019.
Dubai International Airport remained the top destination for global travelers in 2021. The airport has 29 million international passengers in 2021, a 13% increase from the year before, but is still down 66% from 2019.
