Mathilde Carlier
Research Expert covering transportation and logistics
Airports in the United States - Statistics & Facts
The United States boasts a lucrative aviation industry, with around 52.6 million airport operations carried out at towers run by the Federal Aviation Administration and contract towers in 2022. That year, U.S. airlines reported nearly 206.3 billion U.S. dollars in total operating revenue. This was a year-over-year increase of 5.94 percent, which illustrated the sector’s slow recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic led to a drop in passenger travel demand and, as a result, in operating revenue—which shrank by some 46.99 percent between 2019 and 2020. There were around 20,061 airports in the country in 2021, most of which were private airports.
Chicago O’Hare International had the second largest number of airport operations in the U.S. With total operating revenue of over 1.15 billion U.S. dollars, the airport is one of United Airlines’ main operating hubs, handling some 6.62 million passengers from United’s flights in 2021. Chicago O’Hare was also approved to receive the second-largest grants from the Airport Terminal Program in the 2023 fiscal year and is expected to receive some 50 million U.S. dollars in funding. The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport was ranked third in airport operations. With around 663,000 flights arriving and departing, the airport handled approximately 72.2 million passengers from October 2021 to September 2022.
Central passenger and freight hubs
Airports in the United States are central hubs for passenger and freight transport. The U.S. is home to 19 major air carriers—with operating revenues above one billion U.S. dollars— and 44 more air carriers, which haul goods and passengers across the U.S. airspace. In 2022, some 178 million passengers were forecast to travel to or from the United States, representing a 79.8 percent increase year-over-year compared to 2021 passenger traffic estimates. These volumes were still below 2019 air traffic, when over 253 million passengers were traveling to and from the U.S. Domestic air freight enplaned in the country also recorded a dip in 2020, down by some 270 million pounds. Most airport operations were reported in the southern and western-pacific regions of the United States in 2022, where airports such as Atlanta’s Hartfield-Jackson International and Dallas Fort Worth International were located. These were the busiest U.S. airports in 2021, enplaning 36.86 and 30.04 million passengers that year. In contrast, Ted Stevens Anchorage International was the leading U.S. cargo airport that year.Leaders around the globe
The United States is home to some of the world’s busiest and most punctual airports. Atlanta’s Hartfield-Jackson International Airport handled over 75.7 million passengers in 2021, making it the world’s busiest airport that year, as passenger travel slowly picked up after the national lockdowns recorded in 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, Hartsfield-Jackson International was one of the leading airports in terms of aircraft operations.Chicago O’Hare International had the second largest number of airport operations in the U.S. With total operating revenue of over 1.15 billion U.S. dollars, the airport is one of United Airlines’ main operating hubs, handling some 6.62 million passengers from United’s flights in 2021. Chicago O’Hare was also approved to receive the second-largest grants from the Airport Terminal Program in the 2023 fiscal year and is expected to receive some 50 million U.S. dollars in funding. The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport was ranked third in airport operations. With around 663,000 flights arriving and departing, the airport handled approximately 72.2 million passengers from October 2021 to September 2022.
