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The latest Airports Council International (ACI) World Airport Traffic Dataset confirmed 2023’s top 20 busiest airports in the world
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Hong Kong International Airport was last year’s busiest cargo airport followed by Memphis International Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport
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Global air cargo volumes are estimated to have decreased 1.8% year-on-year to 115 million metric tons
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ACI said the decline in air cargo volumes may be attributed to the ongoing geopolitical tensions and disruptions to global trade and supply chains
The latest Airports Council International (ACI) World Airport Traffic Dataset confirmed 2023’s top 20 busiest airports in the world, with Hong Kong as the busiest cargo airport.
It was followed by Memphis International Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
According to the dataset findings, global air cargo volumes in 2023 are estimated to have decreased 1.8% year-on-year to 115 million mt in 2023, an improvement from the preliminary data released by ACI in April which estimated global air cargo volumes to have dropped by 3.1% year-on-year to 113 million metric tons.
Against 2019 figures (pre-pandemic), the 2023 volumes shrank 4.9% based on the latest data vis-à-vis the preliminary estimate of a 4.6% decline.
ACI attributed the decline to ongoing geopolitical tensions and disruptions to global trade and supply chains.
“Air cargo has decreased slightly year over year, but it is important to remember that the sector is recalibrating from the historic highs of the past few years. Cargo traffic is concentrated in the hub airports and Hong Kong retains its top spot,” said ACI world director general and CEO Luis Felipe de Oliveira.
Air cargo volumes in the top 20 airports dropped 3.2% in 2023 compared with the prior year.
Hong Kong International Airport handled 4,329,934 metric tons (mt) in 2023, up 3.1% compared to 2022. Memphis International Airport came second at 3,881,211 mt, down 4%. Shanghai Pudong International Airport air cargo rose 10.4% to 3,440,084 mt.
Rounding up the list of top cargo airports are:
- Anchorage, USA
- Incheon, Korea
- Louisville, USA
- Miami, USA
- Doha, Qatar
- Los Angeles, USA
- Taipei, Taiwan
- Guangzhou, China
- Tokyo, Japan
- Chicago, USA
- Cincinnati, USA
- Paris, France
- Frankfurt, Germany
- Dubai, UAE
- Singapore, Singapore
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Shenzhen, China
Meanwhile, total global passenger traffic was close to 8.7 billion for 2023, up 30.6% from 2022 or a recovery at 94.3% from 2019 figures. This compares with the preliminary estimate of 8.5 billion.
Anticipated benefits from the reopening of the Asian markets and a growing inclination towards travel despite macroeconomic conditions, among others, were the factors that led to the resurgence of international passenger travel.
“The dataset findings indicate that the demand for air travel is as strong as ever. International passenger traffic has now almost fully recovered from the pandemic, and the regional disparities are gone,” said de Oliveira.
“China’s reopening fuelled much of 2023’s strong growth and has propelled Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport back into the top 20. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport continues to lead the way, but the revival of Middle East and Asia-Pacific hubs is the standout takeaway from 2023 figures.”
Every year, ACI collects airport traffic data through its global network of airport operator members, investors, and aviation stakeholders. These are compiled in the ACI World Airport Traffic dataset. This dataset is a compilation of airport passenger, cargo, and aircraft movement rankings for over 2,700 airports across more than 185 countries and territories.
