Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) retained its position as the world’s most traveled airport in 2015, with passenger traffic reaching a record-breaking 101.49 million last year, a 5.5 percent increase, according to data released by Airports Council International. Beijing Capital International (PEK) again ranked second in 2015, registering 4.4 percent growth to reach 89.93 million passengers.
The top two airports ranked by passenger traffic retained their positions from 2014. The rankings shifted after that. Dubai International (DBX) jumped to the number-three position with traffic growth of 10.7 percent to reach 78.01 million. DBX was ranked sixth in 2014. Chicago’s O’Hare International (ORD) also moved up three positions, from seventh to fourth, with 9.8 percent growth to 76.95 million passengers in 2015.
Other North American airports in the top 10 include seventh-ranked Los Angeles International (LAX) with a 6.1 percent growth to 74.94 million passengers, and Dallas/Fort World International (DFW) with a 0.9 percent advance to 64.07 million passengers.
“It’s impressive to witness the dynamic character of the aviation industry and its evolution over time,” says Angela Gittens, director general for ACI World. “In certain markets, we see both airlines and airport operators expanding and optimizing their capacity in order to accommodate the growing demand for air transport. Thus, even in the most mature markets such as the United States and parts of Western Europe, several of the major hubs experienced year-over-year growth rates in passenger traffic that were well above the historical growth levels for these regions.
“On the other hand, we continue to observe double-digit growth rates at major Middle Eastern and Asian hubs serving long-haul routes in emerging markets,” Gittens adds. “With the continued rise in per-capita income and liberalization of air transport across these markets, the propensity to travel by air will rise accordingly. However, airport capacity considerations on the supply side within major city markets will remain paramount to the issue of accommodating the surge in demand for air travel.”
Of the top 20 airports ranked by passenger traffic, 19 airports registered passenger gains in 2015. The largest percentage growth recorded was at Shanghai Pudong International (PVG), with a 16.3 percent increase to 60.05 million passengers. The airport jumped to number 13 in the rankings, from number 19. Among the top 20, the lone passenger decline came at Jakarta’s Soekamo-Hatta International (CGK), which registered a 5.5 percent drop to 54.05 million passengers.
