Atlanta no longer has the world’s ‘busiest airport’ after passenger traffic plummeted due to the pandemic
Atlanta’s airport is no longer the world’s busiest airport, marking the first time in 22 years that ATL has not transported the most passengers.
Instead, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in China took that honor in 2020 with more than 43 million passengers, according to a preliminary report from Airports Council International released on Thursday.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had 42,918,685 passengers in 2020, a decrease of more than 67 million from the previous year.
Passenger count is generally considered the barometer for determining “world’s busiest.”
“While we have been proud of our title as busiest in the world, 2020 was an unprecedented year, with unprecedented challenges, impacting travel across the United States, and the globe,” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a statement.
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Early figures for 2021 also show a stark year-over-year difference in passenger totals. Atlanta’s airport saw 3,205,694 passengers this February, down from 7,790,620 the same time last year, according to the airport.
1. Guangzhou, China (CAN)
2. Atlanta, U.S. (ATL)
3. Chengdu, China (CTU)
4. Dallas/ Fort Worth, U.S. (DFW)
5. Shenzhen, China (SZX)
6. Beijing, China (PEK)
7. Denver, U.S. (DEN)
8. Kunming, China (KMG)
9. Shanghai, China (SHA)
10. Xi’an, China (XIY)
Follow reporter Asha Gilbert @Coastalasha. Email: agilbert@usatoday.com.