This Florida airport is one of the top 10 busiest in the world, 2021 data shows
Earlier this week, Airports Council International revealed their research on the world’s busiest airports in 2021, and Orlando International Airport was in the top 10.
The Orlando International Airport is the seventh-busiest airport and outranked two of China’s busiest airports.
Orlando International Airport jumped from the 27th spot in 2020 to the seventh in 2021.
The airport saw 40.4 million passengers in 2021, an 86.7% increase from the previous year, said Airports Council International in a press release.
A title like the busiest airport in the world may leave travelers to think of more delayed and canceled flights and no time to grab a coffee from the Starbucks three gates down. However, busy airports are an excellent sign for airlines whose revenues fell during COVID-19.
“The passenger traffic rankings tell the story of an encouraging trend of recovery, with most of the recurrent busiest airports pre-COVID-19 back at the top,” Airports Council International World Director-General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said in a news release. “This will provide travelers with more travel options and boost the overall recovery through aviation’s unique role in boosting trade, tourism, investment and creating jobs.”
The report was released a few days before the Transportation Security Administration was planning to end the use of masks on planes, trains and buses on April 18. But it was extended this week until May 3.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been tracking a new COVID-19 variant. The omicron BA.2 subvariant has accounted for 85% of COVID-19 cases in the United States.
For now, face coverings are required to travel in Florida as lawmakers try to agree on what to do next.
“We continue to advocate governments to follow the data and ease travel restrictions to safely restore the movement of people, goods, and services,” said de Oliveira.
List of 2021 busiest airports in the world
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport - 75. 7 million
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport - 62.4 million
Denver International Airport- 58.8 million
O’Hare International Airport -54 million
Los Angeles International Airport -48 million
Charlotte Douglas International Airport -43.3 million
Orlando International Airport -40.3 million
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport -40.2 million
Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport -40.1 million
Harry Reid International Airport - 39.7 million
This story was originally published April 15, 2022 at 11:17 AM.
