The Airports Council International (ACI) World has released its latest World Airport Traffic Dataset, revealing a robust recovery in global air travel in 2023. The data reveals that the total number of passengers worldwide in 2023 approached 8.7 billion, marking a significant rebound from the pandemic-induced slump. This resurgence is attributed to the reopening of markets in Asia and a sustained interest in travel, despite broader economic challenges.
ACI World Director General and CEO Luis Felipe de Oliveira stated, “The dataset findings indicate that the demand for air travel is as strong as ever. International passenger traffic has now almost fully recovered from the pandemic, and the regional disparities are gone. China’s reopening fuelled much of 2023’s strong growth and has propelled Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport back into the Top 20. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport continues to lead the way, but the revival of Middle East and Asia-Pacific hubs is the standout takeaway from 2023 figures. “Air cargo has decreased slightly year over year, but it is important to remember that the sector is recalibrating from the historic highs of the past few years. Cargo traffic is concentrated in the hub airports and Hong Kong retains its top spot. “However, whatever position in the rankings an airport occupies, each is integral to the communities it serves. Airports are resilient, adaptable and support social and economic development. ACI World continues to advocate for airports worldwide to ensure their societal benefits are enjoyed by as many people as possible.”
Annually, ACI World compiles an extensive airport traffic database via its international network, including airport operators, investors, and aviation industry partners. This comprehensive dataset encompasses statistics on passenger numbers, freight volumes, and flight movements from over 2,700 airports in more than 185 countries and territories. This resource enables detailed filtering and analysis based on region, country, airport, and type of traffic, offering precise and dependable data.
In 2023, global passenger traffic neared 8.7 billion, marking a 30.5% rise from the previous year and achieving 94.2% of the pre-pandemic (2019) levels. The total passenger count for 2023 closely matched ACI World’s predictions, reaching 99.88% accuracy compared to forecasts made in the ACI World Annual Traffic Forecast for 2023-2052, released in February 2024. This underscores the precision of ACI World’s forecasting abilities.
The leading 20 airports accounted for 16% of worldwide traffic, with 1.41 billion passengers. This represents a 26.4% increase over 2022 and a recovery of 96.8% relative to 2019 levels, which stood at 1.46 billion passengers. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport led the 2023 rankings, followed by Dubai International Airport and Dallas Forth Worth. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, which topped the list in 2020, dropped to 58th in 2022 but climbed back to the 12th position in 2023. In the top 20 list, eight airports are located in the United States, most of which predominantly handle domestic traffic, ranging between 70% and 95%.
The most significant climb within the top 20 came from Incheon International Airport, which soared from the 99th place in 2022 to the 20th spot in 2023.
The air cargo sector is essential to global commerce, facilitating the rapid transportation of goods across continents. In 2023, air cargo volumes saw a slight decline, decreasing by 1.8% year over year and by 4.9% compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, settling at approximately 115 million tonnes.
Air cargo operations are primarily concentrated at major global airports. In 2023, the top 20 airports accounted for roughly 42% of worldwide air cargo, handling 47.9 million tonnes. Despite a 3.2% decrease compared to the previous year, these airports still achieved a slight growth of 1.6% compared to 47.1 million tonnes in 2019. The reduction in air cargo volumes can be attributed to ongoing geopolitical tensions and disruptions in global trade and supply chains, affecting the flow of goods worldwide.
Hong Kong retained its position as the leading air cargo hub, followed closely by Memphis and Shanghai Pudong, which are also key players in the international air freight market.
In 2023, global aircraft movements approached 96 million, marking a 12.6% increase from 2022 and nearing 92.8% of the activity levels seen before the pandemic in 2019. The leading 20 airports accounted for nearly 11% of this traffic, with approximately 10.5 million movements. This reflects a 12.2% rise over 2022 and a recovery of 95.3% compared to the 11 million movements recorded in 2019. Of these top airports, eleven are located in the United States, demonstrating the significant role these hubs play in international air traffic.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) led with 776,000 movements, achieving 85.8% of its pre-pandemic activity (904,000 movements in 2019). Following ATL, Chicago O’Hare took second place, a position it held over ATL in 2018 and 2019, with Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) trailing closely behind. The most notable rise within the top 20 was seen at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), which soared from 83rd place in 2022 to 18th in 2023.
