Hartsfield-Jackson still No. 1 in passengers

By Kelly Yamanouchi

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has again been confirmed as the world’s busiest, but the mix of other airports near the top is changing.

Chicago O’Hare, Hartsfield-Jackson’s one-time rival for the ‘busiest’ title, has fallen to No. 4 in passenger traffic behind London Heathrow and Beijing Capital International, according to a preliminary ranking of airports for 2009 from Airports Council International.

Hartsfield-Jackson stayed at No. 1 in passenger traffic in spite of a 2.3 percent decline in traffic. Heathrow climbed to second with a relatively small decline of 1.5 percent.

Beijing, thanks to a 16.8 percent increase in traffic as China’s economy expands, jumped to the No. 3 position, from No. 8. Traffic at O’Hare fell 8.8 percent.

Atlanta has long benefitted in the rankings from having one major commercial airport, rather than multiple competing airports as in many major cities.

The Top 10

Total passengers (enplaned and deplaned) percent change

1. Hartsfield-Jackson 87,993,451 -2.3 percent

2. London Heathrow 66,037,578 -1.5 percent

3. Beijing Capital 65,329,851 +16.8 percent

4. Chicago O’Hare 64,397,891 -8.8 percent

5. Tokyo/Haneda 61,903,656 -7.2 percent

6. Paris Charles De Gaulle 57,884,954 -4.9 percent

7. Los Angeles 56,518,605 -5.5 percent

8. Dallas/Fort Worth 56,030,457 -1.9 percent

9. Frankfurt 50,932,840 -4.7 percent

10. Denver 50,167,485 -2.1 percent