Atlanta heads the pack as US airports lead traffic growth in 2022

Atlanta Hartsfield International airport handled nearly 94 million passengers last year, still short of pre-pandemic highs but enough to see it retain its crown as the busiest airport in the world. The Delta Air Lines’ hub had long held that title, with the notable exception being during pandemic-hit 2020, when Chinese airport Guangzhou – boosted by the early reopening of the large Chinese domestic market – led the way. Since then, passenger numbers at Chinese airports have plateaued as strict Covid-19 travel restrictions remained in place while the majority of other markets gradually reopened. While most Chinese airports are yet to release passenger data for last year, they are unlikely to figure among the upper reaches of airports given China has only now taken steps to reopen. A FlightGlobal analysis of preliminary 2022 airport traffic data underlines the strong pick-up in passenger numbers among US airports.<br/>