List Of 10 Busiest Airports In The World In 2020, China Outperforms The United States
JAKARTA - The Bamboo Curtain country dominates the list of the busiest airports in the world in the 2020 version of Airport Council International (ACI). Seven of the ten airports in the world are controlled by China.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, United States which for 22 years has topped this list, must be willing to descend into the second position of the busiest airport in the world.
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China topped the list of busiest airports in 2020, from only 11th place in 2019.
The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the number of flights globally and affecting airport and passenger activity over the past year.
Guangzhou Airport as the busiest in the world recorded 43.8 million passengers last year, down 40 percent from 2019. Meanwhile, Atlanta Airport only recorded 42.9 million passengers, a sharp drop of 61 percent compared to 2019.
"The shift in Atlanta's position is expected to be temporary. After the aviation industry recovers, ATL could regain its place at the top in the next few years", said ACI Vice President for Economics Patrick Lucas, launching CNN, Friday, April 23.
Airports in Chinese cities such as Chengdu, Shenzhen, Kunming, Shanghai, and Xi'an were also among the top 10 in 2020, up from the 2019 ranking. Meanwhile, Beijing's capital city International Airport, which was ranked second in 2019, fell to ranked sixth on the 2020 list.
ACI explained, air passenger traffic around the world fell by almost 65 percent throughout 2020. Meanwhile, passenger traffic at the 10 busiest airports in 2020 fell by almost 46 percent.
"The data published today reveal the challenges that airports continue to face, and it remains important that the industry is supported through direct support and sensible policy decisions from the government to ensure that aviation survives, re-establish connectivity and drive global economic recovery", explained Director General of ACI Luis Felipe de Oliveira.
"The findings show that the impact remains uneven with different regions experiencing different challenges. It requires different policy decisions and support from the government to lay the foundation for recovery", he continued.
Apart from Atlanta, two other airports in the United States that made it into the top 10 are Dallas / Fort Worth International at No. 4 (up from No.10 in 2019) and Denver International at No. 7 (up from No. 16 in 2019).
Interestingly, there were no European airports in the top 10 in 2020, with London and Paris in the list in 2019. Dubai and Tokyo also dropped from the list in 2020.
ACI noted that domestic air travel is recovering in many places, while international air travel is still severely restricted, also affecting the list.
China's strong performance in the top 10 is due in large part to less widely restricted domestic travel in China, where the novel coronavirus emerged in late 2019 and was successfully 'beaten' by tight lockdowns.
In fact, China's domestic travel market only ranks number two in the world, behind the United States, which has the largest domestic travel market.
"A sustainable global recovery will only be realized with the escalation of the vaccination campaign, continued development of digital health licenses, and coordinated and cohesive policy support from the government", concluded de Oliveira.
The busiest airport of 2020 for passenger traffic
- Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport - 43.8 million passengers, down 40% from 2019
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport - 42.9 million passengers, down 61% from 2019
- Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport - 40.7 million passengers, down 27% from 2019
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport - 39.4 million passengers, down 48% from 2019
- Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport - 37.9 million passengers, down 28% from 2019
- Beijing Capital International Airport - 34, 5 million passengers, down 66% from 2019
- Denver International Airport - 33.7 million passengers, down 51% from 2019
- Kunming Changshui International Airport - 33 million passengers, down 31% from 2019
- Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport - 31.2 million passengers, down 32% of 2019
- Xi'an Xianyang International Airport - 31.1 million passengers, down 34% from 2019