With 2023 coming to an in depth, OAG, the worldwide journey information supplier, has disclosed which airports had been the busiest through the yr by way of the variety of scheduled seats. Naturally, one of many questions was whether or not, collectively, they’ve managed to get well to 2019 ranges. Nonetheless, solely 4 out of the highest 10 busiest airports on the earth in 2023 and solely two within the prime 5 listing managed to take action.

Nonetheless, one constructive pattern could be noticed within the listing: all airports’ scheduled seats grew in comparison with final yr, with 9 out of ten airports displaying double-digit development. The one facility that failed to take action was Chicago O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD), the ninth-busiest airport on the earth, with 43.7 million scheduled seats in 2023. The opposite airports that failed to interrupt into the highest 5 had been:

• Guangzhou Baiyun Worldwide Airport (CAN, 43.4 million seats).
• Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX, 44.4 million seats).
• Istanbul Airport (IST, 46.3 million seats).
• Denver Worldwide Airport (DEN, 46.7 million seats).

5 Dallas/Fort Value Worldwide Airport (DFW)

2023 scheduled seats: 48.08 million

• 2022 rating: 3
• 2019 rating: 13

Whereas Dallas/Fort Value Worldwide Airport (DFW) has misplaced two positions in comparison with 2022, the airport has managed to develop its presence impressively in comparison with 2019. Moreover, the hole between the sixth-busiest airport, DEN, is now greater than 1.3 million scheduled seats.

Subsequent yr will mark an important day for the airport, as will probably be celebrating 50 years of operations. With out trying an excessive amount of ahead, in October 2023, DFW offered an replace on its affect on the native financial system, saying that it contributes “an estimated $38 billion in direct and oblique payroll assist, $24 billion in customer spending and about $5 billion in state and native tax income annually.”

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4 London Heathrow Airport (LHR)

2023 scheduled seats: 49.3 million

• 2022 rating: 7
• 2019 rating: 7

Undoubtedly, London Heathrow Airport (LHR) had an impressive yr, with the airport breaking into the listing of the highest 5 busiest airports after failing to take action in 2022. The biggest mega hub in Europe grew its scheduled seats by 23% in comparison with final yr and is about to get well to its 2019 ranges, with the airport lagging behind 2%.

Picture: Jarek Kilian | Shutterstock

LHR unveiled a brand new Chief Government Officer (CEO), Thomas Woldbye, in October 2023. On the time, Woldbye remarked that LHR was a hub that was “the envy of a lot of the world.” Nonetheless, the CEO famous that he would search for methods to “make Heathrow even higher for our prospects and the British financial system.” The airport completed the primary nine-month interval with 59 million passengers, narrowing its losses right down to £19 million ($24.1 million).

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3 Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND)

2023 scheduled seats: 52.6 million

• 2022 rating: 4
• 2019 rating: 3

Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND), one of many two worldwide airports serving Tokyo, Japan, with the opposite being Narita Worldwide Airport (NRT), has regained its 2019 rating. That’s though the variety of scheduled seats in comparison with 2019 continues to be down 4%. Nonetheless, in comparison with 2022, the variety of seats grew by 26%.

Picture: Hit1912 | Shutterstock

In accordance with Japan Airport Terminal, the corporate that manages HND, the airport has recovered considerably in H1 FY 2023, which ended on September thirtieth, 2023. The corporate earned JPY 100.1 billion ($706.5 million) of income through the first six months of the monetary yr, with an working earnings of JPY 8.2 billion ($57.8 million). Nobuaki Yokota, the President and CEO of Japan Airport Terminal, remarked that whereas “the variety of international guests to Japan continued to extend considerably,” the costs of “items continues to rise resulting from excessive useful resource costs and the weak yen, and the labor scarcity within the service trade is changing into extra severe.”

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2 Dubai Worldwide Airport (DXB)

2023 scheduled seats: 56.4 million

• 2022 rating: 2
• 2019 rating: 4

In comparison with 2022, Dubai Worldwide Airport (DXB), the Center East’s world hub, has managed to maintain its place within the rating. It was additionally one of many two airports within the prime 5 listing, the opposite being DFW, which has grown its scheduled seat numbers in comparison with 2019 (5%).

Picture: Dubai Airports

In November 2023, Dubai Airports, the corporate managing DXB, stated that the airport simply had its busiest winter ever, with 20% extra weekly flights in comparison with final yr. Rob Whitehouse, the Vice President of Analysis at Dubai Airports, stated that new frequencies added to DXB’s winter schedule “reaffirms our dedication to rising DXB as a significant hub and additional positioning the airport as a dynamic and aggressive participant within the world aviation panorama.”

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1 Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Worldwide Airport (ATL)

2023 scheduled seats: 61.2 million

• 2022 rating: 1
• 2019 rating: 1

To no person’s shock, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Worldwide Airport (ATL) has saved its prime spot because the busiest airport on the earth, an honor that it has been capable of have a good time yearly since 1998, aside from one time. In 2023, ATL had 61.2 million scheduled seats, 12% greater than final yr however 3% fewer than in 2019.

Picture: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport

Through the present vacation interval, ATL anticipates welcoming greater than 3.3 million passengers, with the vacation interval lasting between December twenty second and January 2nd, 2024. Projections, which ATL shared on December thirteenth, confirmed that the busiest day could be December twenty second. Then, ATL ought to have welcomed 327,624 passengers. The aviation analytics firm Cirium’s information confirmed that on that day, there have been 1,063 flights from ATL, with a median of 162.5 seats per flight.

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