How the World's Busiest Airports Stack Up

Surging demand for international travel propelled some notable overseas airports up the list of the busiest hubs in 2023.

According to preliminary figures from Airports Council International (ACI), global airports served 8.5 billion passengers last year, which was up 27 percent from 2022 but about 6 percent below pre-pandemic marks.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport continues to be the world's busiest, serving close to 104.7 million passengers last year. However, ATL was joined in the top five by Dubai International Airport—which climbed three spots to number two—London Heathrow (fourth) and Tokyo Haneda International Airport, which jumped 11 spots from 16th in 2022 to fifth in 2023.

ACI reported passenger traffic to Tokyo Haneda jumped 55 percent last year from 2022, with HND hosting more than 78.7 million travelers.

Istanbul Airport saw the largest percentage change from 2019 with a 45.7 percent increase to 76 million passengers in 2023.

In the U.S., Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport fell one spot to third while Denver International Airport dropped three spots to sixth despite seeing a 12 percent increase in passengers last year. Los Angeles International Airport and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport also fell multiple spots from 2022.

Here were the 10 busiest airports in the world in 2023:

1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
2. Dubai International Airport (DBX)
3. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
4. London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
5. Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND)
6. Denver International Airport (DEN)
7. Istanbul Airport (IST)
8. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
9. Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
10. New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL)

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