Beijing to Displace ATL for "World's Busiest" Bragging Rights?

By Jim Burress

Atlanta, GA – Since 1998, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has claimed the title "World's Busiest Airport."

But a new report shows HJIA could lose the moniker, passing it on to Beijing.

New numbers from the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation indicate the Chinese capital is quickly gaining on Atlanta.

Mark Raggio is Vice President of Consultant Services for UBM Aviation. He says China's booming economy is fueling unprecedented passenger demand.

"China Southern, China Eastern, Air China they all have aircraft orders in place, which for a lot of them, is going to be new growth," says Raggio. But, he adds, losing the title of "World's Busiest" probably won't mean much.

Hartsfield-Jackson's general manager, Louis Miller, agrees.

"Obviously, it means a lot to us, but it's not something we hang our hat on or something we think we have to keep forever."

And, Miller says, he expects Atlanta will hold the title for a few more years.

In an Email to WABE, former HJIA general manager Ben DeCosta seconded the statement, saying Atlanta's numbers will hold Beijing in the #2 spot for several more years.

"Being number one is a slight assist in growth and prosperity, but it shouldn't be overplayed," says DeCosta.