by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:46 AM ET, Mon April 11, 2022
Orlando International Airport is now one of the world's Top 10 busiest airports by passenger volume for the first time ever due in part to the strong demand for leisure travel.
According to Reuters.com, data published by the Airports Council International (ACI) showed the Orlando airport ranked seventh in 2021, totaling 40.4 million passengers served last year.
Orlando International Airport was ranked just ahead of China's Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and broke into the Top 10 for the first time since data was available in 1991.
A Greater Orlando Aviation Authority spokesperson told Reuters the "airport is expecting higher traffic in 2022 as international and business travel return in greater numbers." ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira also said the rankings show travel is rebounding from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The report found that the United States has seen the fastest and strongest recovery in travel, with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport topping the rankings by passenger traffic. While the numbers have climbed, they are still down around 18 percent from the same period in 2019.
Traffic at the top 10 busiest airports in 2021 represented about 463 million passengers.
In March, a new study from booking technology platform arrivia found that travelers are ready and eager to travel in 2022, with 69 percent of respondents revealing plans to travel this year, while another 24 percent already had a vacation booked.
World's Top 10 Busiest Airports by Passengers
1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
2. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
3. Denver International Airport
4. O'Hare International Airport (Chicago)
5. Los Angeles International Airport
6. Charlotte Douglas International Airport
7. Orlando International Airport
8. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport
9. Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport
10. Harry Reid International Airport (Las Vegas)
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