Airports can be some of the busiest and most stressful places in the world with their long lines and crowded gates. The infographic below uses data from the Airports Council International (ACI) to rank the 10 busiest airports in the world.
The busiest airports in 2022
In 2022, worldwide passenger traffic was close to 7 billion, an increase of approximately 54% from 2021.
Here’s a closer look at the data:
These 10 airports accounted for 10% of the world’s passenger traffic last year. According to the Director General of Airports Council International, half of these airports are in the United States and most of their passengers are citizens of this country.
While Atlanta airport had the highest number of passengers with nearly 94 million passengers, London’s Heathrow airport has grown the most with more than 217% increase in passengers.
In this data set, such a large percentage increase between 2021 and 2022 is usually associated with the reduction or complete removal of corona restrictions.
The future of the aviation industry
Despite the high level of passenger traffic in the world, the travel and tourism industry has actually not yet fully reached its pre-pandemic peak, but it is getting close. A recent report by the World Travel and Tourism Council showed that the industry reached 95% of its market size in 2019.
Jobs in the industry also improved with the addition of 21.6 million workers in 2022, bringing it to more than 295 million people worldwide and accounting for 1 in 11 jobs worldwide. The expenses of tourists abroad also reached a growth rate of 82% last year, which was calculated at a total of 1.1 trillion dollars. Overall, this trend looks positive for those in the travel and tourism industry.
While conflicts such as the war in Ukraine have somewhat hindered the improvement, recent moves by countries such as China to reopen borders are helping to boost growth in the travel and tourism industry.
