Preliminary data from the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, shows that Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport did not have the most aircraft operations (takeoffs and landings). But what does this mean as far as the title ‘busiest airport’ is concerned? Keep scrolling to find out.
Wait, what’s going on?
Is Chicago O’Hare busier than Atlanta? Well, it depends on which metric you’re measuring. When it comes to flights taking off and landing, O’Hare is out-ranking Atlanta.
USA Today said, in a report,
Preliminary FAA operations data shows 857,392 aircraft landed or took off from Chicago O’Hare International Airport in 2025. That’s significantly more than the 807,625 take offs and landings over the same period at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport…
But it might not be for the exact reason you’re thinking. O’Hare ranked in the top spot for takeoffs and landings due to their surge in air taxi operations. Air taxis are flights traveling very short distances and, according to the FAA, typically use electric vertical takeoff and landing tech.
But as far as passengers go, Atlanta still reigns supreme
Fox5 Atlanta reports,
Despite the shift in total operations, Atlanta is still expected to lead in passenger traffic. ATL reported 792,785 commercial passenger and cargo airline flights, while ORD reported 774,921. Atlanta also reported higher totals for military and general aviation traffic.
In other words, Atlanta is still busier, as it’s seeing far more passengers per year than Chicago O’hare.
We’ll have to wait until the the FAA releases their final report to know for sure, but right now it looks like Atlanta will hold its title as busiest airport when it comes to passenger usage. In this category, Atlanta is always going head-to-head with Dubai, the only airport that regularly threatens to unseat Atlanta as the busiest airport in the world.
As soon as we know more, we’ll let ya know!