Increases in international passengers and cargo led to record-setting mark 

ATLANTA – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) served more passengers and conducted more aircraft movements than any other airport in the world in 2017. Pending confirmation from industry trade group Airports Council International, 2017 marks the 20th consecutive year ATL will be named the busiest airport in the world. ATL remains the only airport ever to reach the 100 million passenger mark in a single year; 2017 is the third consecutive year it surpassed this milestone.

“Hartsfield-Jackson successfully combines efficiency and passenger volume in a way that ensures ATL retains its position as the aviation industry’s leader,” said Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. “That worldwide leadership role enables the Airport to maintain its status as the economic engine of the Southeast.”       

“We set out last year to increase our international passenger numbers and overall cargo totals,” said ATL General Manager Roosevelt Council, Jr. “We are thrilled to see the results of our hard work.”  

Hartsfield-Jackson’s Air Service Development team efforts led to a substantial increase of international passengers traveling to, from and through Atlanta. ATL hosted 12,033,865 international travelers in 2017, a 4.86 percent increase over 2016’s total of 11,475,615 passengers. Cargo development efforts also paid off, as cargo operations increased by 5.66 percent over 2016. Overall, ATL hosted 103,902,992 passengers in 2017, a quarter of a percent less than 2016’s total of 104,171,935. ATL also tops the world in aircraft movements, with 879,560 operations in 2017, 2.09 percent less than 2016’s total of 898,356. 

For a complete look at the 2017 traffic report, visit: http://www.atl.com/business-information/statistics/