The preferences of travelers around the world are changing, with the Middle East and Asia gaining ground.
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VSAccording to the global list of the world's 10 busiest airports for 2023, the Airports Council International (ACI) has just released a list of 8.5 billion passengers who flew last year.
Total passenger volume represents an overall increase of 27% from 2022, fueled by a 37% increase in the international travel market, almost double the 20% increase for domestic travel. Even more remarkable is how the shift to tourism hotspots is upending the global airport order.
The increases themselves are not surprising, since last year was a record year for travel spending. Tourists around the world injected nearly $10 trillion into the global economy in 2023, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. This figure represents 9.1% of global GDP.
After analyzing data from more than 2,600 airports in more than 180 countries and territories around the world, ACI World revealed no change at the top of the list of busiest airports, where Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport of Atlanta has held the top spot for more than two decades. Four other U.S. airports also made the top 10: Dallas Fort Worth fell one spot to third; Denver fell three spots to No. 6; Los Angeles fell two spots to No. 8; and Chicago fell five spots to 9th.
Outside of the United States, very notable changes have been observed, reflecting the evolving tourism landscape. “Dubai International Airport rose to second place for the first time, while Tokyo Haneda International Airport saw a remarkable rise from 16th position in 2022 to 5th in 2023,” said the global managing director of the ACI, Luis Felipe de Oliveira. “Moreover, the unwavering strength of Istanbul and New Delhi airports keeps them in first place, marking significant progress compared to 2019 (before the pandemic).”
The world's busiest airports in 2023 (total volume)
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (ATL): 104.7 million passengers; up 11.7% year-on-year
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates (DXB): 87 million passengers; up 31.7% year-on-year
- Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW): 81.8 million passengers; up 11.4% year-on-year
- London Heathrow, United Kingdom (LHR): 79.2 million passengers; up 28.5% year-on-year
- Tokyo Haneda, Japan (HND): 78.7 million passengers; up 55.1% year-on-year
- Denver (DEN): 77.8 million passengers; up 12.3% year-on-year
- Istanbul, Türkiye (IST): 76 million passengers; up 18.3% year-on-year
- Los Angeles (LAX): 75.1 million passengers; up 13.8% year-on-year
- Chicago O'Hare (ORD): 73.9 million passengers; up 8.1% year-on-year
- Delhi, India (DEL): 72.2 million passengers; up 21.4% year-on-year
Viewed from a broader perspective, the 2023 figures reflect a strengthening of international travel in the Middle East and Asia, ACI World said.
Excluding domestic travel, Dubai International Airport is the world's largest airport, followed by a trio of European heavyweights: London Heathrow (No. 2), Amsterdam Schiphol (No. 3) and Paris Charles- de-Gaulle. de-Gaulle (No. 4).
On the international scene, it is in Asia that the movements have been the most important. Singapore Changi Airport rose from No. 9 to No. 5, with a dramatic 83% increase in international volume. Yet it was Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea, which made the biggest jump from No. 32 to No. 7, thanks to a massive 213% increase in international passenger traffic, driven mainly by visitors from Japan, China, Taiwan and elsewhere in Asia.
The world's busiest airports in 2023 (international)
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates (DXB): 87 million passengers; up 31.7% year-on-year
- London Heathrow, United Kingdom (LHR): 74.9 million passengers; up 28.6% year-on-year
- Schiphol, Netherlands (AMS): 61.9 million passengers; up 17.9% year-on-year
- Paris Ch.-de-Gaulle, France (CDG): 61.4 million passengers; up 18.6% year-on-year
- Singapore Changi (SIN): 58.4 million passengers; up 83.1% year-on-year
- Istanbul, Türkiye (IST): 58.2 million passengers; up 20% year-on-year
- Incheon, then. Korea (ICN): 55.8 million passengers; up 212.9% year-on-year
- Frankfurt, Germany (FRA): 54.1 million passengers; up 20.8% year-on-year
- Doha, Qatar (DOH): 45.9 million passengers; up 28.5% year-on-year
- Madrid, Spain (MAD): 43.8 million passengers; up 20.9% year-on-year
