Heathrow Airport
The Airports Council International (ACI) recently released its list of the busiest airports in the world. Once again, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) took the top spot, with more than 104 million passengers in 2016. According to the ACI, this represents an increase in traffic of over 2.6% over 2015. The trade group attributes Atlanta's success to its strategic location, where it is within a two-hour flight of 80% of the US population. In addition, the ACI credits the growth of ATL's largest tenant - Delta Air Lines - for the airport's continued expansion. Globally, the number of people traveling by air grew at a rate of 5.6% in 2016."The aviation industry is constantly changing, adapting and innovating," said ACI World director general, Angela Gittens, in a statement. "Global aviation markets remain dynamic in the face of economic uncertainty and geopolitical risks that persist on many fronts. Connecting people and places still remains paramount to the aviation sector in spite of the looming threat to market liberalization in major Western economies."
The trade group compiled its list using passenger traffic data from 1,179 airports around the world.
Here are the 20 busiest airports in the world based on total passenger traffic:
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