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During the pandemic, especially in its worst months, airports have thrown unusual images of empty terminals and deserted runways.

The new report of the Airports Council International (ACI for its acronym in English) has just put the figures to the hecatomb of air traffic in recent months.

Global passenger traffic during 2020

fell by almost 65%

, according to this report, while that of the ten busiest airports in the world fell by almost 46%.

For 22 years

, the 'top ten' of the airports with the most passengers was led by Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta. A reign that has just ended the international airport of the Chinese city of

Guangzhou

, which from today is the new leader world air traffic.

What's more, seven of the top ten airports in terms of passenger traffic are already in China.

Among them, Chengdu (third place), Shenzhen (4th), Beijing (6), Kunming (8), Shanghai (9) and Xian (10).

Except for the capital, none had ever been in the top ten.

What's more, Shanghai was ranked 46th in 2019 and represents the most striking jump on the list as it appears in ninth position in 2020.

In contrast,

no European airport

is among the top ten in the new ranking.

London and Paris, until 2019 on this list, have been displaced, as have Dubai and Tokyo.

In 2002, only the Americans Atlanta, Dallas (4) and Denver (7) compete with the Chinese.

According to the ICA, the Chinese dominance is explained by the fact that the Asian giant's domestic travel has had fewer restrictions after the country controlled the infections. Meanwhile, in the rest of the world, internal flights are beginning to pick up, albeit modestly. Internationals, however, continue to suffer due to mobility limitations. According to ACI's global director general, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, "we continue to face

an existential threat

" in terms of air traffic due to the pandemic. 

"These data reveal the challenge that airports continue to face," said Oliveira.

"It remains imperative that the industry has

direct support

and sound policy decisions from governments to ensure that aviation can endure, rebuild connectivity and drive a global economic recovery."

International passengers

If we talk only about international passengers, the ranking of the ten airports with the highest traffic has also suffered variations compared to last year, with

three new additions: Istanbul, Doha and Madrid.

Dubai continues to be number one with about 26 million passengers, although these represent 70% less than in 2019.

Amsterdam and London have swapped places.

The Dutch is now second, while Heathrow is third.

Paris

ranks fourth (sixth in 2019), followed by Frankfurt, Istanbul, Doha, Incheon (Seoul), Singapore and Madrid.

The Spanish capital sneaks onto the list after ranking 11th the year before.

According to ACI data, the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport has gone from having almost 45 million international passengers in 2019 to having 11 million in 2020,

75% less

.

More leaps have been made by Istanbul and Doha, which came from 14th and 15th places, respectively.

WORLDWIDE INTERNATIONAL PASSENGER TRAFFIC

  • Dubai

  • Amsterdam

  • London

  • Paris

  • Frankfurt

  • Istanbul

  • Doha

  • Incheon (Seoul)

  • Singapore

  • Madrid

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