New Airport Ranking Bumps Atlanta From No. 1 Spot, 1st Time In Decades

For the first time in more than two decades, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is no longer the busiest airport in the world.

The preliminary world airport traffic rankings were released earlier this month, showing that the Airports Council International has revealed the new airport that snagged the No. 1 spot.

Rankings show that Guangzhou Bai Yun International Airport, located in southeast China, unseated the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as the busiest passenger airport in the world in 2020.

That marks the first time the Atlanta airport hasn’t held the title since 1998, according to a Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport press release.

“While we have been proud of our title as busiest in the world, 2020 was an unprecedented year, with unprecedented challenges, impacting travel across the United States, and the globe,” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in the release on Thursday (April 22). “Hartsfield-Jackson’s top priority remains providing a safe and efficient experience for the traveling public. During the pandemic, ATL took substantial steps to protect passengers and employees alike. Those steps are allowing Hartsfield-Jackson and its partner airlines to return to normal, and with a renewed push to reclaim our title as the world’s busiest airport.”

The airport doled out more than 4 million face masks to travelers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials also installed plexiglass barriers, social distancing markers, sanitizing stations and more, according to the release.

“Our status as the nation’s most efficient airport is extremely important to ATL,” said Interim Airport General Manager Balram “B” Bheodori. “Maintaining efficiency benefits the airlines, the concessionaires, and – most importantly – our passengers.”

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