Airports Council Releases 2023 North American Airport Traffic Rankings

August 6, 2024

WASHINGTON – Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA), the trade association representing commercial service airports in the United States and Canada, today released its 2023 North American Airport Traffic Summary containing passenger, cargo, and aircraft operations data from 275 North American airports.

“2023 was a pivotal year for the airport industry as we continued our impressive rebound from the global pandemic,” said ACI-NA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke.  “North American airports continue to rise to the occasion by finding new and innovative ways to adapt and improve their service.  With a significant increase in both international and domestic passenger traffic last year and the record-breaking travel we are already seeing for 2024, our member airports continue to meet the growing demands by enhancing and expanding their facilities and implementing new technologies to elevate the overall passenger experience. Given our intense focus on resilience, the airport industry also is well-prepared to address challenges and navigate the ever-evolving travel landscape.”

Key Findings

  • In 2023, North American airports experienced a robust recovery in international passenger traffic with an increase of 27.9 percent from 2022. Similarly, domestic passenger traffic grew by 9.5 percent from 2022. Five U.S. airports made it to the top 10 world’s busiest airports in terms of total passenger traffic.
  • Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport remained the busiest airport in North America and the world in 2023 with 104.7 million passengers, an increase of 11.7 percent from 2022.
  • Toronto Pearson International Airport is once again Canada’s most traveled airport with 44.8 million passengers, an increase of 25.6 percent from 2022.
  • Memphis International Airport was North America’s busiest cargo airport in 2023, handling 3.9 million metric tons, a decrease of 4.0 percent from 2022.
  • Eight out of the top 10 airports globally for aircraft movements were in the United States.

Passenger Traffic

Passenger traffic continued recovering in 2023 with a 11.9 percent increase over 2022 levels. While domestic passenger traffic increased by 9.5 percent in 2023, international passenger traffic showed a strong recovery with 27.9 percent growth over 2022 levels.

Cargo Volume

Following the air cargo boom in 2020 and 2021, air cargo traffic continued to decline in 2023.  Overall air cargo traffic decreased by 7.4 percent, due to a reduction in international freight volume of 6.3 percent and 6.5 percent reduction in domestic freight when compared to 2022.

Aircraft Movements

Aircraft movements continued to increase in 2023 after the sharp decline experienced during the pandemic. Total aircraft movements increased by 4.8 percent in 2023 as compared to 2022. This increase was driven by a recovery of 8.0 percent in passenger and combination aircraft movements. All-cargo aircraft movements recorded a decrease of 4.5 percent from 2022 in 2023.

 

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About ACI-NA

Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) represents local, regional, and state governing bodies that own and operate commercial airports in the United States and Canada. ACI-NA member airports enplane more than 95 percent of the domestic and virtually all the international airline passenger and cargo traffic in North America. Approximately 380 aviation-related businesses are also members of ACI-NA, providing goods and services to airports. Collectively, U.S. airports support more than 11.5 million jobs and account for $1.4 trillion in economic activity – or more than seven percent of the total U.S. GDP. Canadian airports support 405,000 jobs and contribute C$35 billion to Canada’s GDP. Learn more at www.airportscouncil.org.