Delhi Airport Was Ninth Busiest Globally: Report

Delhi airport has been ranked as the world's ninth busiest airport in 2024, helped by airline expansion, infrastructure growth and enhanced global connectivity.

The top 10 busiest airports list compiled by the Airports Council International (ACI) World is topped by Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (US) which handled 1,08,067,766 passengers in 2024.

Dubai International Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (US) are at the second and third positions, respectively. They handled 92,331,506 passengers and 87,817,864 passengers, respectively.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), which handled 77,820,834 passengers in 2024, is at the ninth position. The airport's traffic jumped 7.8 per cent and 13.6 per cent compared to 2023 and 2019, respectively.

In 2023, IGIA was ranked as the tenth busiest airport.

Other airports in the list are Haneda (Japan) at the fourth place, London Heathrow (UK) at the fifth position and Denver at the sixth spot, as per ACI World.

Istanbul Airport (Turkey) and Chicago O'Hare International Airport are at the seventh and eighth positions, respectively.

For the rankings, ACI World has taken into account total passengers enplaned and deplaned, and passengers in transit have been counted once.

"The unwavering strength of Istanbul Airport and New Delhi International Airport keep them in top ranks, marking significant progress over 2019. Both airports have been thriving due to airline expansion, infrastructure growth, and enhanced global connectivity," it said in a release on Monday.

In 2025, it said the global passenger traffic is forecast to reach 9.9 billion with a 4.8 per cent year-over-year growth rate.

"While passenger demand remains strong, the pace of expansion is expected to slow as markets shift from recovery-driven surges to structural, long-term growth patterns," the release said.

A trade association, ACI serves 830 members, operating more than 2,181 airports in 170 countries as of January 2025.

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