New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has been ranked the ninth busiest airport in the world, handling more than 7.78 crore passengers in 2024, according to a report released by Airports Council International (ACI) on Tuesday.This marks an improvement from last year, when the airport held the 10th spot.The ACI’s list of the world’s 20 busiest airports was topped by Atlanta airport in the US, which processed 10,80,67,766 passengers. Dubai International Airport came in second with 9,23,31,506 passengers, followed by Dallas/Fort Worth in the US with over 8,78,17,864 crore.Globally, airports handled more than 9.4 billion passengers in 2024, an 8.4% jump from 2023 and a 2.7% rise over pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019. The world’s 20 busiest airports alone accounted for 1.54 billion passengers, representing 16% of global traffic, the release said, quoted by PTI.Delhi’s IGIA saw a total of 7,78,20,834 passengers last year, based on the combined count of those enplaned and deplaned. Transit passengers were counted once.In terms of aircraft movements, Delhi airport moved up two positions to 15th globally, clocking 4,77,509 flights in 2024. Atlanta also led this category, with 7,96,224 movements.The US contributed six airports to the top 20 list, largely driven by domestic travel. New York’s JFK was an exception, with 56% of its traffic comprising international passengers.The rest of the top 10 list included:
- Atlanta Airport
- Dubai International Airport
- Dallas/Fort Worth Airport
- Tokyo’s Haneda
- London Heathrow
- Denver
- Istanbul
- Chicago O’Hare
- IGAI Airport
- Shanghai Pudong
Shanghai Pudong (PVG) climbed 11 positions to rank 10th worldwide.Aircraft movements globally stood at 100.6 million in 2024, up nearly 4% from the year before and reaching 96.8% of 2019 levels. The top 20 airports accounted for 11.08 million of these flights, a 5.4% increase year-on-year.Commenting on the latest data, ACI world director general Justin Erbacci said the rankings reflect both the scale of global aviation and the resilience of the industry that continues to grow, despite ongoing global challenges.ACI represents 830 members operating over 2,180 airports across 170 countries.
