World’s Busiest Airports in April 2021
For many airports, traffic figures continue to grow. We wanted to know the details again and took a look at the official ICAO traffic figures. Therefore, we analyzed the world’s busiest airports regarding the number of passengers, flights (departures), and freight volume. And here’s the result: The world’s busiest airports — based on April 2021 traffic figures. Here’s what’s contained in detail:
- World’s Top 15 Busiest Airports based on passenger numbers
- Top 15 Busiest Airports by number to flights (departures)
- Top 15 Busiest Airports by freight tonnes
World’s Top 15 Busiest Airports by Passenger Numbers
Key Takeaways
Guangzhou remains the world’s busiest airport for passengers.
In April 2021, China’s Guangzhou (CAN) airport (again) wins the label “world’s busiest airport” by passenger numbers. Compared to March, Guangzhou recorded another growth of almost 10%. However, Atlanta is close behind. Therefore, it will be interesting to see if Guangzhou will remain the world’s busiest airport or if Atlanta will push Guanzhou off the throne next month.
China and the United States continue to dominate the ranking
Again, the list of the world’s busiest airports is dominated by Chinese and U.S. airports. Seven out of 15 airports are based in China, whereas eight are based in the U.S. As a result, there’s no single airport among the busiest airport list outside of China or the U.S.
Beijing, Shanghai, and Charlotte are the top gainers
Looking at the growth rate compared to the previous month, it turns out that Charlotte (+17.1%) and Beijing (+17.5%) are the top gainers of the month. Besides that, Shanghai (+14.5%) performed very well too.
Detailed Airport Ranking
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Top 15 Busiest Airports By Flights (Departures)
Key Takeaways
Atlanta remains at the top but recorded a traffic decrease
Atlanta Airport (ATL) defeated the first rank and holds the world’s busiest airport title. With 29,987, the airport operated the highest number of departures in April 2021. However, compared to April, Atlanta recorded a decrease in departures by almost 1%.
Chicago is the top gainer.
Chicago O’Hare airport recorded an increase in departures by an impressive 13.2%. As a result, the airport climbs two positions and ranks as the third-busiest airport by departures.
China and the United States dominate again.
Unsurprisingly, Chinese and U.S. airports dominate this ranking too. However, the U.S. perform better and conquer the first five positions. Moreover, 10 out of 15 airports are located in the United States, whereas “only” 5 are located in China.
Detailed Airport Ranking
[table “” not found /]Top 15 Busiest Airports By Freight Tonnes
Key Takeaways
Cargo traffic grows massively.
The world’s top 15 busiest cargo airports reported an average growth rate of 21.6% compared to the previous month. That’s an amazing performance. Moreover, since air cargo is considered an early economy indicator, we hope to see similar figures for passenger numbers soon!
Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Memphis are top gainers.
With a growth rate of 33.5%, Hong Kong leads the list of the top gainers in April. Nevertheless, Memphis (28.3%) and Shanghai (28.9%) follow very close behind.
Detailed Airport Ranking
[table “” not found /]What’s Your Opinion?
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