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Atlanta Airport Named Busiest in the World

Because of its location as a major connecting hub and port of entry, the Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta, GA is the world's busiest.
Credit: TAMI CHAPPELL/AFP/Getty Images

Atlanta, GA (WLTX) - According to data released by the Airports Council International on Monday, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has once again taken a top spot as the world's busiest passenger airport this year.

Almost 104 million passengers passed through the airport last year, which means the airport is busier than other fellow airports around the globe like Beijing, Dubai, Los Angeles and Tokyo. Those airfields rank as the top five from 2016 for passenger traffic.

What are the reasons behind why Hartsfield-Jackson is the busiest? Its location and port of entry into North American are two. It plays a critical role as a connecting hub for the larger United States, which is the world's biggest economy. According to a fact sheet released by the Hartsfield-Jackson, Atlanta is within a two-hour flight for 80 percent of the U.S. population of more than 300 million people.

Hartsfield-Jackson serves 150 U.S. destinations and more than 75 destinations in 50 countries. It also handles around 2,500 flights and 275,000 passengers a day. However, the ATL airport could see things change by next year. According to CNN, Atlanta was the only airport in the top 20 to see a decrease in passenger traffic last year, with a small drop of 0.26%.

This year, the Beijing Capital International airport came in second place again behind Hartsfield-Jackson, with a 1.5% increase. In fact, worldwide passenger traffic increased 6.6% last year, while international passenger numbers were up 8.4%.

According to CNBC, the Hartsfield-Jackson airport is home to one of the world's largest carriers, Delta Air Lines, which was founded in Georgia. It began as a crop-dusting company before temporarily moving to Louisiana in 1925.

Credit: WLTX

A List of the World's Busiest Airports in 2017

1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Georgia) -- 104 million passengers

2. Beijing Capital International Airport (China) -- 96 million passengers

3. Dubai International Airport (United Arab Emirates) -- 88 million passengers

4. Tokyo Haneda International Airport (Japan) -- 85 million passengers

5. Los Angeles International Airport (California) -- 84.6 million passengers

6. Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (Illinois) -- 80 million passengers

7. London Heathrow Airport (United Kingdom) -- 78 million passengers

8. Hong Kong International Airport (China) -- 73 million passengers

9. Shanghai Pudong International Airport (China) -- 70 million passengers

10. Aéroport de Paris-Charles de Gaulle (France) -- 69 million passengers

11. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (Netherlands) -- 68.5 million passengers

12. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (Texas) -- 67 million passengers

13. Guangzhou Bai Yun International Airport (China) -- 66 million passengers

14. Frankfurt Am Main Airport (Germany) -- 64.5 million passengers

15. Atatürk International Airport (Turkey) -- 64 million passengers

16. Indira Gandhi International Airport (India) -- 63.5 million passengers

17. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Indonesia) -- 63 million passengers

18. Singapore Changi Airport (Singapore) -- 62.22 million passengers

19. Incheon International Airport (South Korea) -- 62.16 million passengers

20. Denver International Airport (Colorado) -- 61 million passengers

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