The United States holds the top position in the global aviation industry with almost 20,000 airports serving approximately 300 million passengers per year. A total of 5 airports in the U.S. hold the top 10 ranking in the busiest global airports.
What are the 3 busiest airports in the USA? (With Latest Statistics)
As per the 2022 latest report, airports in the U.S. including Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Denver International Airport (DEN), Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) are listed in the top 10 busiest global airports in terms of the number of passengers served.
Let’s explore the top 3 Busiest Airports in the USA with the latest report.
What are the 3 Busiest Airports in the USA?
#1 Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta Int’l Airport (ATL) is the busiest airport not only in the United States but the entire world. Till October 2022, ATL served approximately 78 million passengers. In 2021, the airport handled a record-breaking 75 million passengers. However, the airport only served 42 million passengers in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19.
ATL is the busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger traffic and is able to be listed on the list of the top 5 busiest airports in the world since 2000.
The following table represents the passenger traffic (both domestic, and international) report of ATL airport from January 2022 to October 2022.
| MONTH | TOTAL NUMBER OF PASSENGER TRAFFIC |
| January | 60,18,162 |
| February | 62,09,095 |
| March | 78,90,089 |
| April | 78,22,788 |
| May | 83,99,947 |
| June | 82,39,522 |
| July | 84,79,230 |
| August | 82,43,423 |
| September | 80,13,866 |
| October | 84,12,034 |
| TOTAL TILL OCTOBER | 77,719,156 |
As per the latest report published by ATL Airport till October 2022, a total of 7,77,19,156 passengers were served which means the airport will set another record at the end of 2022. We can expect the airport to serve more than 90 million passengers by the end of December 2022.
Busiest Domestic Routes from Atlanta Int’l Airport
| DESTINATION | OPERATING AIRLINES |
| Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit |
| Orlando, Florida | Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit |
| Miami, Florida | American, Delta, Frontier |
| Denver, Colorado | Delta, Southwest, Spirit, Frontier, United |
| Tampa, Florida | Delta, Southwest, Spirit, Frontier |
| Los Angeles, California | American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit |
| Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas | American, Delta, Spirit |
| Las Vegas, Nevada | Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit |
| Detroit, Michigan | Delta, Spirit |
| Salt Lake City, Utah | Delta, Frontier |
Busiest International Destinations from Atlanta Int’l Airport
| DESTINATION | OPERATING AIRLINES |
| Paris-Charles de Gaulle, France | Air France, Delta |
| Amsterdam, Netherlands | Delta, KLM |
| Toronto-Pearson, Canada | Air Canada, Delta |
| Cancun, Mexico | Delta, Southwest |
| London Heathrow, UK | British Airways, Delta, Virgin Atlantic |
| Seoul-Incheon, South Korea | Delta, Korean |
| Mexico City, Mexico | Delta, Southwest |
| Montego Bay, Jamaica | Delta |
| Nassau, Bahamas | Delta |
| Punta Cana, Dominican Republic | Delta |
#2 Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
The latest report shows the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is the second busiest airport in the United States. It is the 5th busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger frequency.
DFW airport served a total of 62.5 million passengers in 2021. The latest report for June 2022 shows the airport served almost 35 million passengers in the first half of 2022. We can expect the airport to serve more than 70 million passengers by the end of December 2022.
Major domestic destinations from DFW
| DESTINATION | OPERATING AIRLINES |
| Los Angeles | American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Spirit Airlines |
| Las Vegas | American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Sun Country Airlines |
| Denver | American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, United Airlines |
| Atlanta | American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Spirit Airlines |
| Chicago O’Hare | American Airlines, United Airlines, Spirit Airlines |
| Orlando | American Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines |
| Phoenix-Sky Harbor | American Airlines, Spirit Airlines |
| Miami | American Airlines, Frontier Airlines |
| Charlotte | American Airlines |
| Fort Lauderdale | American Airlines, Spirit Airlines |
Major International destinations from DFW
| DESTINATION | OPERATING AIRLINES |
| Cancun | American Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, Spirit Airlines |
| London-Heathrow | American Airlines, British Airways |
| Mexico City | Aeromexico, American Airlines, VivaAerobus, Volaris Airlines |
| Narita-Tokyo | American Airlines, Japan Airlines |
| San Jose del Cabo | American Airlines, Spirit Airlines |
| Toronto-Pearson | American Airlines, Air Canada |
| Frankfurt | American Airlines, Lufthansa |
| Seoul-Incheon | American Airlines, Korean Air |
| Puerto Vallarta | American Airlines |
| Vancouver | Air Canada, American Airlines |
#3 Denver International Airport (DEN)
Denver Int’l Airport (DEN) is the third busiest airport in the United States proved by the latest passenger statistic report. DEN handles over 50 million passengers every year making it the 5th busiest airport in the world.
DEN airport served almost 60 million passengers in 2021. The overall passenger traffic was half (33 million) in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19. The latest passenger statistics (January 2022 – October 2022) report shows Denver Airport served a total of 57.6 million passengers.
Denver Airport will handle over 70 million passengers by the end of December 2022. The following table represents the passenger traffic (both domestic, and international) report of DEN airport from January 2022 to October 2022.
| MONTH | TOTAL NUMBER OF PASSENGER TRAFFIC |
| January | 4,264,817 |
| February | 4,593,960 |
| March | 5,617,325 |
| April | 5,458,016 |
| May | 5,982,477 |
| June | 6,254,557 |
| July | 6,283,128 |
| August | 6,330,418 |
| September | 6,290,682 |
| October | 6,539,291 |
| TOTAL TILL OCTOBER | 57,614,671 |
Major domestic destinations from DEN
| DESTINATION | OPERATING AIRLINES |
| Phoenix–Sky Harbor | American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines |
| Las Vegas | Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines |
| Chicago–O’Hare | American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, United Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and Southwest Airlines |
| Los Angeles | American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and United Airlines |
| Atlanta | Delta Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines |
| Seattle/Tacoma | Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines |
| Houston–Intercontinental | Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines |
| Dallas/Fort Worth | American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and United Airlines |
| Salt Lake City | Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and Southwest Airlines |
| Minneapolis/St. Paul | Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, and United Airlines |
Major International destinations from DEN
| DESTINATION | OPERATING AIRLINES |
| Cancun | Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines |
| San Jose del Cabo | Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines |
| Puerto Vallarta | Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines |
| Frankfurt | Lufthansa, and United Airlines |
| Mexico City | Aeromexico, and Volaris |
| Calgary, Canada | United Airlines |
| Toronto–Pearson | Air Canada |
| Guadalajara | Volaris |
| Vancouver | Air Canada, and United Airlines |
| Munich | Lufthansa |
Conclusion
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta Int’l Airport (ATL) is the busiest airport in the world which means it is also the top busiest airport in the United States. ATL is followed by Dallas Fort Worth Int’l Airport (DFW), and Denver Int’l Airport (DEN).
Till October 2022, ATL handled a total of 77,719,156 passengers whereas DFW served almost 60 million passengers. Likewise, Denver Airport handled a total of 57,614,671 passengers.
