Asia-Pacific airports poised to become world’s busiest
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Driving the heady growth are China, India and the United Arab Emirates, according to Geneva-based Airports Council International.
Beijing airport saw the biggest rise in passenger traffic, registering almost a 20% increase from 2005. Some 49 million travellers passed through the Chinese capital’s airport. This easily puts it among the top 10 busiest airports in the world.
Next year when Beijing hosts the 2008 Olympics, expect new records to be set.
ACI Director General Robert J Aaronson said, “The statistics tell a great story - growth and stability. Three quarters of airports worldwide reported positive passenger growth.”
The ACI report covered 1,100 ACI member airports which together processed 4.4 billion passengers and 85.6 million metric tonnes of cargo and 72.2 million aircraft movements.
The 4.4 billion passengers handled is a record, an increase of 4.8% from the previous year.
Atlanta in the US was the world’s busiest passenger hub in 2006, handling nearly 85 million travellers, according to ACI.
Chicago O’Hare was next with 77 million passengers and London’s Heathrow with 67.4 million. Heading Asia was Tokyo’s Haneda in fourth place with nearly 66 million travellers.
With huge domestic populations discovering air travel and the proliferation of low-cost airlines, Asian airports will increasingly feature among the top 10 busiest hubs.
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