In our roundup of travel news this week: how Asia is coping with hyper-hot weather, a terrifying incident on board a budget airline, plus the world’s busiest airports of 2025.
Last year, global air travel reached a record-breaking 9.8 billion passengers, according to a report on the world’s busiest airports released Wednesday by Airports Council International (ACI). The organization released its preliminary figures in April.
The busiest airport of all in 2025, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, has held the title of the world’s No. 1 for passenger traffic for 27 of the last 28 years. It slipped just once in 2020, due to air travel being largely halted by the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Atlanta isn’t a big world-class travel destination like Hong Kong or Paris or Los Angeles; it’s not even one of the world’s biggest population hubs. Geographical good fortune and effective long-term leadership are just two of the reasons Atlanta’s plucky airport has made it to the top and stayed there: Here are some of the secrets of its success over the years.
As for the rest of the top busiest airports of 2025, they are: Dubai (DXB) at No. 2; Tokyo (HND) at No. 3; Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) at No. 4; Shanghai (PVG) at No. 5.
