Atlanta and Dubai home to the world's busiest airports
Georgia's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has retained the title of world’s busiest airport after having shuffled a whopping 96 million flyers through its terminals in 2014, while Dubai has edged past London to become the busiest hub for international passenger traffic.
That’s according to the latest report from the Airports Council International, which looked at airport traffic statistics to compile lists of the busiest airports around the world.
For the 17th year in a row, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport cemented its position, seeing an increase of more than 1.7 million flyers pass through its halls in 2014 compared to the year prior for a total of 96.1 million people -- more than the entire population of Ethiopia.
In 2014, about 70 million international passengers flew through Dubai International Airport, bumping London Heathrow from the top spot as the busiest hub for international flyers and solidifying its status as a major connecting hub, said Rafael Echevarne, economics director of ACI World.
“The airport that continued to make its mark in 2014 was Dubai International,” he said in a statement.
“Dubai is the fulcrum that connects long-haul international flights from east and west, north and south.”
Istanbul Ataturk Airport recorded nearly 11 percent growth in passenger traffic in 2014 to become one of the fastest growing hubs among the world’s top 20 airports, moving from 18th to 13th place ahead of Amsterdam.
Globally, passenger traffic increased by more than five percent between 2013 and 2014.
And with 881,933 take-offs and landings, Chicago O’Hare surpassed Atlanta to become the busiest airport for aircraft movements.
Here are the top 10 world’s busiest airports in 2014 according to the ACI:
1. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta, USA
2. Beijing Capital International Airport, China
3. London Heathrow Airport, England
4. Tokyo International Airport or Haneda Airport, Japan
5. Los Angeles International Airport, USA
6. Dubai International Airport
7. Chicago O’Hare International Airport, USA
8. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, France
9. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, USA
10. Hong Kong International Airport
