Airport travel appears to be nearing pre-pandemic levels. According to a report from Airports Council International, global passenger traffic in 2022 was 73% of what it was in 2019.
The increased traffic has made for busy airports in the U.S.
The ACI report says five of the top 10 busiest airports in the world are in the U.S. They are located in Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport reported 93.7 million passengers in 2022, a 23% increase from the previous year, according to the report. That's more than 20 million more passengers than Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, which reported 73.4 million passengers in 2022.
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The U.S. wasn't the only country to see major gains in airport travel. Dubai International Airport was the busiest airport outside the U.S. It reported a 127% increase from the previous year with 66 million passengers.
The other busiest airports outside of the U.S. are located in Istanbul, London, New Delhi and Paris.
"While US airport hubs were able to recover quicker due to their strong domestic market, we are now witnessing global hubs joining upper ranks," said ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira.
The ACI expects air travel to grow even more this year. It believes the reopening of China will lead to a gain in both domestic and international travel. China's borders were essentially closed for much of the pandemic due to its zero-COVID policy.
The top-10 busiest airports in the world for passenger traffic, according to ACI:
1. Atlanta
2. Dallas
3. Denver
4. Chicago
5. Dubai
6. Los Angeles
7. Istanbul
8. London
9. New Delhi
10. Paris
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