Atlanta loves to be No. 1, whether it’s home to the World Series champs, The Braves or being the world’s busiest airport. Some titles are just too good to let go of! The Airports Council International (ACI) World recently announced the top 10 busiest airports worldwide and once again named Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) as No. 1. In 2024, ATL served handled more passengers and conducted more aircraft movements than any other airport in the world.
Needless to say, Atlanta is happy to be at the top again! Atlanta reigned as the World’s Busiest Airport for 22 years until it was surpassed in 2020 by Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in China.
As verified by ACI, preliminary data for total passenger traffic rankings show that in 2024, ATL continues to lead as the busiest global airport (based on international + domestic capacity) with 62.7 million seats. This represents a 2% increase compared to 2023 but is still just below 2019 levels by 1%.
The United States is home to four of the top ten busiest global airports. Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and Denver International (DEN) rank fifth and sixth, respectively, due to significant capacity growth since 2019. DFW’s capacity has risen by 18% to 51.5 million seats and DEN’s increased by 24% to 49.2 million seats over five years. In 2019, neither airport featured in the top ten.
Chicago O’Hare (ORD) completes the list of U.S. airports in the top ten, landing in tenth place with 47.0 million seats in 2024.
OAG’s Chief Analyst, John Grant, comments, “Atlanta’s continued global leadership reflects the airport’s strength as a major connecting hub for both domestic and international capacity, supported by a strong set of base airlines. Recent developments in Dallas-Fort Worth and Denver highlight the competitive nature of the market in the United States, which results in choices for the connecting traveller market.”
Want more information on the World’s Busiest Airport? Visit www.ATL.com.
There is lots to do near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the Airport District. Click here to discover more.
