Watch out for these busy days at the Atlanta airport this holiday season

For the upcoming holiday travel period, the Atlanta airport will see the most travelers since the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials are getting ready to host 5.3 million people throughout the Christmas and New Year’s season.

But the weekends before and after next week’s Christmas holiday are shaping up to be the busiest at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Sunday, Dec. 21, and Sunday, Dec. 28, are set to have the most scheduled flights with about 2,230 arrivals and departures each day.

That’s based on an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of airline data for the travel period between Dec. 17 and Jan. 5 from aviation analytics company Cirium.

Monday, Dec. 22; Tuesday, Dec. 23; Monday, Dec. 29; and Sunday, Jan. 4, all follow closely behind with around 2,200 flights each.

In terms of total passengers, airport officials say Friday, Dec. 26, will have the most travelers passing through with nearly 350,000.

While Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines saw a dip in bookings this fall amid the government shutdown, end-of-year travel is looking solid, CEO Ed Bastian said earlier this month. The carrier represents, with its partners, about 80% of passenger traffic at Hartsfield-Jackson.

According to Transportation Security Administration security checkpoint volume data from last year, the Fridays before and after Christmas — Dec. 20 and Dec. 27 — also saw the most passengers.

The busiest hours on Dec. 20, 2024, were between 5-7 a.m. and 2-4 p.m.

Security wait time estimates are available in real time at the airport’s website and on the AJC website. The airport site also tracks parking lot availability, which can tighten during peak travel periods.