Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) soared to the second spot in a ranking of the world’s busiest airports in 2021 that saw U.S. airports claim eight of the top 10 standings.
Airports Council International (ACI) World, a trade association of the world’s airports, released its findings on April 11th that recorded more than 62.5 million passengers for a 58.7 percent increase from 2020, when it was the fourth-busiest airport according to ACI.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) reclaimed its title as the world’s busiest airport in 2021 as several major U.S. airports continued their pandemic recovery. Prior to 2020, the Atlanta airport had been the world’s busiest airport for 22 consecutive years.
Denver International Airport was third with 58.82 million passengers, Chicago O’Hare International Airport was fourth with 54.02 million passengers, and Los Angeles International Airport was fifth with 48.01 million passengers.
Total global passengers in 2021 is estimated to be close to 4.5 billion, representing an increase of almost 25 percent from 2020, or a drop of more than 50 percent from 2019 results.
The world airport rankings are based on the preliminary compilation of 2021 global data from airports around the world. The rankings reflect the most updated airport data used by the industry and include passenger traffic, cargo volumes, and aircraft movements.