(CNN) – Move over, Guangzhou. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia is again the busiest airport in the world.
The US airport was ousted from its No. 1 position to No. 2 in passenger traffic by China’s Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in 2020, breaking Atlanta Airport’s 22-year streak of winning the top spot.
But the 2021 rankings released Monday by the Airports Council International trade association put ATL back at the top, a sign of recovery from the precipitous drop in air travel in 2020 as the pandemic took hold.
In 2021, Atlanta Airport handled 75.7 million passengers. That number is up a whopping 76% from 2020, but is still nearly 32% below pre-pandemic numbers of 2019.
Guangzhou Airport fell to 8th place in 2021 with 40.3 million passengers. Another airport in China, Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu is ninth on the list for 2021 compared to 3rd place in 2020.
US airports dominated the 2021 passenger traffic rankings with eight of the top 10 in the United States.
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Texas was the second busiest in 2021 with about 62.5 million passengers, and Denver, Colorado International Airport ranked third with 58.8 million passengers.
Chicago’s O’Hare and Los Angeles International rounded out the top five.
The list shows “an encouraging trend of recovery,” Luis Felipe de Oliveira, director general of ACI World, said in a statement.
“While we are cautious that the recovery may face multiple headwinds, the momentum created by countries’ reopening plans could lead to an increase in travel in the second half of 2022,” de Oliveira said.
In 2021, according to ACI, there were an estimated 4.5 billion passengers worldwide. That number represents an increase of nearly 25% from 2020, but a decrease of more than 50% from 2019.
Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, China ousted Atlanta International Airport as the world’s busiest in 2020. In 2021, Guangzhou Airport fell to 8th place.
Tian Jianchuan/Xinhua/ZUMA Press
The US and China swap places
With domestic traffic recovering much faster than international traffic, airports that were way down the list of the world’s busiest airports before the pandemic have jumped up the top 10.
The airports in Charlotte, North Carolina (No. 6); Orlando, Fla. (#7); and Las Vegas (No. 10) are new to the top 10 this year. Vacation magnets Orlando and Las Vegas were No. 31 and No. 30 in passenger travel prior to the 2019 pandemic.
The United States’ strong showing in the top 10 is a reversal from 2020, when airports in China occupied seven of the top 10 spots.
China’s dominance in 2020 was due to the early recovery of China’s domestic travel. The country still hasn’t reopened to international visitors.
“As we look back at 2020, China was one of the first to weather the first waves of the pandemic and has almost fully recovered by the end of 2020,” said Patrick Lucas, vice president of economy at ACI World.
But in 2021, China’s domestic traffic fell sharply with renewed lockdowns, while the United States saw a big jump.
The United States has the world’s largest domestic travel market, followed by China.
Airports that routinely land in the top 10 lists of the world’s busiest airports – such as Dubai International, London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle – have been absent during the pandemic.
“Markets with very high proportions of international traffic have obviously been hurt by all these restrictions and quarantine requirements,” Lucas said.
The significant role played by international traffic is also one of the reasons Beijing Capital Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport dropped out of the top 10. The city’s new Daxing International Airport.
Dubai International Airport, which accounts for a large share of international traffic, fell out of the top 10 busiest airports in 2021. However, it remained the No. 1 for international passengers in 2021.
Elena/Adobe Stock
undo restrictions
ACI advocates a “risk-based approach” to easing travel restrictions following Covid-19 data, Lucas said.
“Vaccines were actually the passport to travel, but as we can see now, a lot of big markets are opening up and … a lot of countries have realized that restricting travel or imposing travel restrictions isn’t actually doing anything,” he said.
“If anything, it does even more damage. That means it disrupts the socio-economic benefits of air travel and tourism and so on.”
As of today, ACI expects total passenger traffic to recover to pre-pandemic levels in 2024.
However, strong domestic markets, including the United States, are expected to recover by 2023. And markets with a high proportion of international traffic are not expected to recover until 2025, Lucas said.
There are “different forces moving in opposite directions” around the world.
There is a very strong backlog and lifting of restrictions that have dampened travel, compared to rising travel costs and geopolitical concerns surrounding events in Eastern Europe, Lucas said.
But overall, ACI is optimistic. “We have a feeling that consumers, the passengers, will bite the bullet, so to speak, despite the increase in travel costs.”
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport says it is within a two-hour flight to 80% of the US population.
Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters
The 10 busiest airports in the world for passenger traffic in 2021
1.Atlanta (ATL): 75.7 million passengers, 76% more than 2020
2. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW): 62.5 million passengers, 59% more than 2020
3. Denver (DEN): 58.8 million passengers, 74% more than 2020
4. Chicago O’Hare (ORD): 54 million passengers, 75% more than 2020
5.Los Angeles (LAX): 48 million passengers, 67% more than 2020
6.Charlotte (CLT): 43.3 million passengers, 59% more than 2020
7.Orlando (MCO): 40.4 million passengers, 87% more than 2020
8. Guangzhou (CAN): 40.3 million passengers, 8% less than 2020
9. Chengdu (CTU): 40.1 million passengers, 1.5% less than 2020
10. Las Vegas (LAS): 39.8 million passengers, 79% more than 2020