Not only does Atlanta host Delta's sprawling network, but its Southeast location puts it within a two-hour flight of 80% of the US population.
Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images
The Official Airlines Guide has published its annual list of the Top 10 busiest airports in the world for 2023 — and half were in the US.
Based on total airline domestic and international seat capacity, OAG crowned Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, or ATL, as this year's busiest global airport, with about 62.2 million available seats.
The results should not come as a shock considering the Georgia capital's airport has earned the title every year since 1998, except 2020 when China's Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport briefly dethroned Atlanta amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The other nine airports spanned the US, Europe, and Asia — and represent a collective 500 million seats offered by global carriers in 2023, according to OAG data.
Of the Top 10 airports, every one exceeded 2022 numbers. A few airports even managed to surpass 2019 levels, with the biggest jump at Denver International Airport — which boasted 17% more capacity compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Turkey's Istanbul Airport each increased by 10%, while Dubai International Airport's available seats jumped 5%, according to OAG data.
Atlanta, for its part, is still down 3% compared to the 63.3 million seats that were available there in 2019. But its 2023 numbers still beat the second-busiest airport by about five million seats.
Atlanta's high-traffic airport is popular for myriad reasons. Not only does it host Delta Air Lines' sprawling network, but its Southeast location puts it within a two-hour flight of 80% of the US population.
Here are the Top 10 busiest airports in the world for 2023, according to OAG.
Markus Mainka/Shutterstock.com
Seats: 43.4 million
Rank in 2022: 16
Rank in 2019: 12
Change from 2019: Down 4%
Guangzhou Baiyun in China temporarily gained the world's busiest airport title in 2020 during the COVID outbreak.
The airport, known by its code, CAN, is a hub for China Southern Airlines.
Mira / Alamy
Seats: 43.7 million
Rank in 2022: 6
Rank in 2019: 6
Change from 2019: Down 14%
Chicago O'Hare is the city's main international airport and operates alongside Chicago Midway Airport, which is one of Southwest Airlines' busiest bases.
O'Hare, known as ORD, is a hub for United Airlines and American Airlines.
Markus Mainka/Shutterstock.com
Seats: 44.5 million
Rank in 2022: 8
Rank in 2019: 5
Change from 2019: Down 14%
Los Angeles International Airport, known as LAX, serves as the main international gateway into Southern California and is a huge hub for several carriers, including American, Delta, United, and Alaska Airlines.
Burbank Hollywood Airport, John Wayne Airport, Ontario International Airport, and Long Beach Airport also compete for passengers flying in and out of the Greater Los Angeles area.
gokcentunc/Shutterstock.com
Seats: 46.4 million
Rank in 2022: 10
Rank in 2019: 16
Change from 2019: Up 10%
Istanbul is home to Turkish Airlines, which was named the best European airline in 2023 by aviation ranking website Skytrax.
It's known by the International Air Transport Association code IST.
AP/Thomas Peipert
Seats: 46.7 million
Rank in 2022: 5
Rank in 2019: 21
Change from 2019: Up 17%
Colorado's capital city airport, known as DEN, has seen the most post-pandemic growth in terms of airline seat capacity, according to OAG.
Denver is a hub for United and Frontier Airlines. It draws a lot of traffic as a hub from smaller cities around the West.
LJ Jones/Shutterstock
Seats: 48.1 million
Rank in 2022: 3
Rank in 2019: 13
Change from 2019: Up 10%
Dallas/Fort Worth airport, known as DFW, is American Airlines' busiest hub and is the departure city for many of its international flights.
Dallas also has air service at the nearby Dallas Love Field, which — like Chicago's Midway — is a secondary airport that handles millions of Southwest passengers per year.
Gordon Bell/Shutterstock.com
Seats: 49.4 million
Rank in 2022: 7
Rank in 2019: 7
Change from 2019: Down 2%
London Heathrow, or LHR, shares the skies with five other airports in the area of Greater London: London City, London Gatwick, London Luton, London Stansted, and London Southend — making it the busiest city airport system in the world by passenger count.
Heathrow, on its own, is still No. 4 and is home to British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways.
REUTERS/Kyodo Kyodo
Seats: 52.7 million
Rank in 2022: 4
Rank in 2019: 3
Change from 2019: Down 4%
Tokyo Haneda, known as HND, is one of the two major international airports serving Japan's capital city, the second being Tokyo Narita, or NRT.
Haneda serves as a base for Japanese carriers Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways.
Sorbis/Shutterstock.com
Seats: 56.5 million
Rank in 2022: 2
Rank in 2019: 4
Change from 2019: Up 5%
Dubai, known as DXB, is the main international airport in the United Arab Emirates and is a mega-hub for Emirates' giant widebody fleet of aircraft.
The airport operates alongside Dubai World Central, which currently operates some commercial flights; its management has designs on it one day becoming the world's largest airport.
Reuters
Seats: 61.2 million
Rank in 2022: 1
Rank in 2019: 1
Change from 2019: Down 3%
Atlanta has won the title of the world's busiest airport 25 times since 1998 thanks to its favorable geographic location in the US and, at least in part, to its lack of competition in the area.
It is a major hub for Delta Air Lines.
And unlike like London, Dallas, Chicago, and Tokyo, the airport known as ATL doesn't compete for passengers with other airports nearby.
