High flyers

AIRPORTS: THE NUMBER of air travellers who took domestic and international flights around the world last year totalled 4.5 billion, a 6.4 per cent increase on 2006, according to new figures.

The top two busiest airports were the leading US hubs of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which processed nearly 90 million travellers, and O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, which handled more than 76 million.

London's Heathrow, which saw 68 million travellers pass through, came in third.

The figures were released by the Airports Council International (ACI), which has member airports in 175 countries. They showed that Madrid Barajas International Airport was the world's fastest-growing major aviation hub last year, increasing passenger numbers by 14 percent to 52 million.

ACI warned that this year could prove to be more difficult, with instability on financial markets, rocketing fuel prices, currency devaluations and restructuring by airlines troubling the industry.

A spokesman said there is cause for caution. "With a number of external factors coming into play, 2008 may present a much more sedate picture."

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times