OAG data indicates that Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta is the busiest in the world in 2023 with 61m seats, followed by Dubai International Airport (57m), Tokyo International Airport (52m), London Heathrow (49m), and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (48m).
The capacity at Atlanta has increased by 12pc year-over-year and is just 3pc below 2019. Capacity in Dubai has increased by 5pc compared to 2019.
New York’s JFK Airport offered more international connections than any other US airport, while Dubai International Airport (57m) topped the list of busiest international airports, followed by London Heathrow (49m), Amsterdam Schiphol (37.2m) Paris Charles de Gaulle (36.7m), and Singapore Changi (36m).
Kuala Lumpur – Singapore was the busiest route, and domestically, Jeju International – Seoul Gimpo was the busiest with 13m seats. Honolulu – Kahului was the US’s busiest domestic flight, followed by Atlanta – Orlando and Las Vegas – Los Angeles.
Seven out of the top ten busiest international routes involved destinations in the Asia-Pacific region. New York JFK-London Heathrow secured the eighth position with 3.9m seats.
These figures are considerably smaller than those for the busiest domestic routes in 2023, with Jeju International – Seoul Gimpo estimated to have held 13.7m seats. Atlanta was the busiest global hub in 2023.
European airports saw a decrease in capacity following the pandemic, with London Heathrow Airport leading in seat capacity, followed by Istanbul Airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam, and Munich respectively. Istanbul was the only airport to see an increase in the top 10 list compared to 2019 levels.
The Kuala Lumpur International-Singapore Changi route is estimated to be the busiest international flight route for 2023.
The route is expected to have offered 4.9m seats, marginally surpassing the Cairo-Jeddah route’s 4.8m seats.
Dublin-London, once the third busiest international route worldwide, has slipped to 48th in Europe.
