Airports Council International (ACI) World has just provided a first look of its rankings of the world’s business airports for 2024. Many of the airports featured in 2023 return to the top of the rankings this year with a few notable exceptions.
Despite geopolitical and economic headwinds, traffic continues to grow across the aviation industry with total passengers for 2024 nearing the 9.5 billion mark, this represents a 9% increase from 2023 and is a 3.8% increase from pre-pandemic levels.
ACI World Director General, Justin Erbacci, said this about this year’s report:
Amid global challenges, the resilience of the world’s busiest airports shines. These hubs are vital arteries of trade, commerce, and connectivity. As air travel grows, ACI World stands ready to support its members, ensuring the smooth flow of people and goods that drive global economic, social, and cultural progress.”
Busiest Airports in the World by Passenger Traffic
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) holds on to the top spot for another year with Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) holding strong in 2nd and 3rd.
The biggest mover in the rankings goes to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) which jumped to 10th place from 21st in 2023. This jump was driven by a variety of factors including expanded visa policies, the resumption and expansion of international flights, and the overall recovery demand in the Asia-Pacific region.
On the international passengers side, Dubai (DXB) held its place at the top of the list followed by London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR). Seoul-Incheon Airport (ICN) jumped from 7th to third in 2024, seeing a whopping 26.7% increase in international traffic.
These numbers will continue to grow as ACI predicts global passenger traffic will reach 9.9 billion in 2025.
Largest Airports by Cargo Volume
Air cargo also got a significant boost for 2024, seeing an increase of 8.4% over 2023. 124 million metric tons were transported in 2024 with and Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) easily holding on to the top spot.
Matching it’s resurgence on the passenger side, Shanghai Pudong (PVG) knocked FedEx’s superhub at Memphis International Airport (MEM) from 2nd place with Memphis sliding to 3rd.
Busiest Airports by Aircraft Movements
With the large number of regional jets and heavily banked hubs, it should come as no surprise that airports in the United States were well represented in the 2024 rankings. The top seven airports on the list are all located in the Lower 48 with Atlanta taking the top spot.
The top five airports are all unchanged in the rankings from 2023 to 2024 though Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) jumped ahead of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) thanks to a double digit increase in aircraft movements. Two Chinese airports jumped into the top ten in 8th and 10th with Istanbul Airport (IST) finishing in 9th.
Summary
Airports Council International (ACI) World has released its preliminary rankings of the busiest airports in the world for 2024. While we saw some movement amongst the top 10, but the vast majority of airports didn’t see much movement year over year. The full rankings will be confirmed in July.
