World’s busiest airports: Atlanta still No. 1; LAX at 6; Dubai gaining

If airports seem more crowded these days, they should. About 6.3 billion passengers passed through the world’s airports in 2013, a 4.6% increase from the previous year, according to an Airports Council International report.

Atlanta’s Hartfield-Jackson Airport (ATL) reigns as the world’s busiest airport by passengers in the ACI report even though its traffic dropped 1.1% this year over last. Still, the 94 million-plus passengers last year kept it in the top spot.

Not much changed in the lineup of the world’s busiest airports since 2012; Los Angeles retains its No. 6 spot. The rest of the top 10:

2. Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK), Beijing
3. Heathrow Airport (LHR), London
4. Haneda Airport (HND), Tokyo
5. O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Chicago
6. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Los Angeles
7. Dubai International Airport (DBX), Dubai, United Arab Emirates
8. Charles DeGaulle Airport (CDG), Paris
9. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Texas
10. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) in Jakarta, Indonesia

Dubai International is one of the fastest-growing, with a 15% jump in traffic over the previous year.

In terms of passenger traffic, North America accounts for 29.4 million; Europe, 20.8 million; and Asia-Pacific, 18.3 million.

And the council expects more passenger increases this year. The first half of 2014 shows a 4.8% jump in passengers though it cites “social and political volatility” in places like the Middle East and West Africa that may scare off travelers.