Beijing narrows gap with Atlanta as world's busiest airport while Haneda overtakes Heathrow as #3

The world's busiest airport by total passenger movements, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, continues to hold off Beijing, the world's second busiest airport, but it is only a matter of time before Atlanta is dethroned. Only a decade ago, Beijing Capital did not even rate among the world's top 30 airports, a list that Atlanta has headed since 1998. Beijing only appeared as one of the world's 30 largest airports in 2004, in 20th position, with passenger growth of over 43% in this year. This week Tokyo Haneda surpassed London Heathrow as the world's third largest airport.

Meanwhile, Airports Council International (ACI) in its Oct-2011 traffic release noted that passenger growth remains in resilient and positive territory despite the challenges in global markets. "The looming risks in major currency markets and economies have not yet affected consumption patterns for air travel," ACI World's economics director Rafael Echevarne commented.