"Airport Passenger Traffic in North America Grows 4.3 Percent in 2005"

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Airport Passenger Traffic in North America Grows 4.3 Percent in 2005; 1.52
billion passengers move through airports while cargo declines by 0.5 percent

Press Release


WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE) -- More than 1.52 billion passengers* traveled
through North American airports in 2005, an increase of 4.3 percent,
Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) announced today. Both
cargo and total operations, however, declined slightly by 0.5 percent and
0.2 percent respectively. 

"North American passengers are returning to the skies in record numbers and
many air carriers continue to add flights in markets across the U.S. and
Canada. The numbers reinforce ACI-NA's 2005 Capital Needs Survey, which
shows that airports plan to spend $14.3 billion per year over the next five
years to add capacity and upgrade facilities to meet that demand," said
ACI-NA President Greg Principato. 

"This is clearly not the time to reduce investment in airport infrastructure
as the Administration proposed in its Fiscal Year 2007 budget. As we move
toward FAA Reauthorization in 2007," he said, "we need to find ways to
increase investment in the nation's aviation system." 

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport retained the number one
worldwide ranking for passenger traffic, counting 85.9 million passengers in
2005, a 2.8 percent increase over 2004. Atlanta was followed by Chicago
O'Hare International Airport (76.5 million) and Los Angeles International
Airport (61.5 million). 

Memphis International Airport remained the busiest cargo airport in the
world, handling over 3.6 million metric tons -- an increase of 1.2 percent
over its final 2004 numbers. 

Atlanta replaced Chicago as the airport with the greatest number of total
operations worldwide with a yearly total of 980,386 movements. Chicago
posted a 2 percent decrease in operation at 972,248 movements. Dallas/Ft.
Worth International Airport ranked third with 711,878 operations, a decrease
of 11.5 percent. 

Canada's busiest airport in two of the three categories is Toronto's Lester
B. Pearson International Airport, ranking 17th in North America for
passengers (29.9 million) and 18th in total movements (409,401). Vancouver
International Airport ranked highest at 30th in Canada for cargo (223,677
metric tons). 

The ACI-NA 2005 Traffic Report contains passenger, freight/mail and aircraft
operations data for 190 North American airport members. Total passengers
represent the sum of passengers enplaned and deplaned in all commercial
services but not passengers who travel in business or general aviation modes
of transportation. Total freight/mail figures represent the sum of the total
freight and mail, both loaded and unloaded, at the reporting airport. Total
aircraft operations reflect the sum total of all domestic commercial,
international commercial, commuter, general aviation and military
operations. The final 2005 North American traffic report is available on
ACI-NA's web site (http://www.aci-na.aero). 

*Passenger traffic is defined as the aggregate total of arriving
(enplanement) and departing (deplanement) passengers. Transfer passengers
are only counted once. 

Airports Council International - North America represents local, regional
and state governing bodies that own and operate commercial airports in the
United States and Canada. ACI-NA member airports enplane more than 95
percent of the domestic and virtually all the international airline
passenger and cargo traffic in North America. Over 300 aviation-related
businesses are also members of the association, which is the largest of the
six worldwide regions of Airports Council International.

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