Atlanta airport retains title as world's busiest; passenger traffic made 2012 its busiest ever

The Associated Press

ATLANTA - Atlanta's airport is keeping its title as the world's busiest.

Airport officials on Tuesday said passenger traffic increased by more than 3.1 million passengers in 2012 -- making 2012 the busiest year ever for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Authorities said the 2012 total of 95.5 million passengers is 3.35 per cent higher than the previous record of 92.4 million passengers, set in 2011.

Louis Miller, the airport's aviation general manager, says the airport remains the world's busiest in terms of passengers and operations.

The airport's annual air cargo decreased by about 2.5 per cent - from 663,162 in 2011 to 646,481 metric tons in 2012. Airport officials said the decline in cargo operations reflected a global decrease of consumer purchases and reduced manufacturing.