International airport council ranks Delhi’s IGIA ninth busiest in the world

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport has been ranked as the ninth busiest airport in the world in 2022, handling 59.5 million passengers annually, data shared by the Airports Council International (ACI) World – a global organisation which measures and assesses airport standards– showed on Wednesday. The IGI Airport was ranked 13th in 2021, while it was the 17th busiest airport in 2019, before the pandemic.

ACI data also showed a 60.2% increase in passenger traffic as compared to last year at the IGI Airport, however, it is still 13.1% lower than 2019, indicating that even though passenger traffic has stabilised, it is yet to reach pre-pandemic levels.

The IGI Airport was also the only airport from south and southeast Asia to make the top 10 list. According to the ACI report, the top 10 airports for total passenger traffic, representing 10% of global traffic, witnessed a gain of 51.7% from 2021. The overall passenger traffic at these airports was, however, around 85% in comparison with 2019 figures. “Preliminary figures indicate that with the resumption of international travel, 2022 global passenger traffic reached close to 7 billion, representing an increase of 53.5% from 2021, or a 73.8% recovery from 2019 results,” ACI said in the report.

The world’s busiest airport, with 93.6 million passengers in 2022, remained Georgia’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which was also the busiest airport in 2021 and 2019. The IGI Airport was one position behind London’s Heathrow Airport, which handled 61.6 million passengers, while Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport was the 10th busiest airport in the world after the Delhi airport, handling 57.4 million passengers.

Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO of International Airport Limited (DIAL), IGI Aiport’s operator, said the Delhi airport believes in being future-ready, while ensuring global standards of passenger experience for travellers.

“This feat is a result of the collective efforts of all our stakeholders. The Indian aviation sector is writing a new chapter and the Delhi airport is working closely with the central government to make it a success story,” he said.

ACI world director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said: “The new top 10 busiest airports for passenger traffic reflect the resilience of the airport and aviation industry, and the eagerness of passengers to travel by air. The ongoing recovery of air travel demand would not be possible without the continuous work of airports to provide a safe, secure, efficient, and sustainable air transport ecosystem for the passengers that we depend on and the communities we serve.”