The world’s busiest airports show an increase in international travel. Here are the ratings.

A British Airways Airbus A319 aircraft takes off from Heathrow Airport in London, United Kingdom on May 17, 2021.

John Sibley | Reuters

International travel roared last year, with airports from London to Tokyo leading the way in global passenger traffic rankings.

Dubai International Airport was ranked second busiest in 2023, fifth in 2022 and fourth in 2019, according to Airports Council International’s preliminary rankings released on Monday. Passenger traffic at Tokyo Haneda International Airport grew by 55 percent last year to 2022, and the airport ranked fifth, up from 16th a year ago.

Global airports served 8.5 billion passengers last year, up 27 percent from 2022 but still about 6 percent below the pre-pandemic count, ACI said, citing preliminary data. .

The recovery in international travel has been a bright spot for airlines with large international networks, while ultra-low-cost, domestic-focused U.S. airlines have struggled in recent months. Domestic U.S. airports continued to post big gains in passenger numbers, but some slipped in the rankings compared to the middle of the pandemic, when international travel restrictions limited long-haul travel abroad.

About 78 million people used Denver International Airport last year, up 12 percent from 2022, but the airport, which is a major hub, United Airlinesfell from third to sixth in the ACI rankings.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Delta AirlinesThe largest hub, once again tops the list of busiest airports, serving 104.7 million passengers, ACI said.

Here are the 2023 rankings (with the 2022 rankings in parentheses):