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Honolulu lands 36th
among the world’s
busiest airports
The passenger traffic
By Russ Lynch
also ranks it 21st in the
U.S., a survey says
Star-BulletinAn international ranking of the world's busiest airports puts Honolulu Airport's passenger traffic in some well-known company -- beating out Dulles International in Washington D.C. and just below La Guardia in New York and Orly in Paris.
The latest survey from the Airports Council International in Geneva ranks Honolulu -- handling 22.6 million passenger trips last year -- as the 36th busiest out of 280 airports worldwide.
That's a climb of one step, from 37th in 1998, with the traffic remaining flat from 1998.
Honolulu also ranks as the 21st-busiest U.S. airport.
But that's no big deal to Jerry Matsuda, state airports administrator.
He remembers 10 or 15 years ago when Honolulu was much higher on the ladder. "I wish we were higher," Matsuda said.
Domestically and internationally, Honolulu had been ranked in the top dozen or so in passenger traffic, he said."The problem is, we have to make a concerted effort" to increase tourism, he said.
Matsuda said he is glad the Hawaii Tourism Authority is making that push now and that the state is also trying to attract more air cargo. Increased cargo means more aircraft bellies to haul it and that results in more flights with more passenger seats, Matsuda said.
He also recalled that only a few years ago the Honolulu-Kahului route was the fifth-most traveled air passenger route in the United States.
The ACI arrives at its total by counting all round-trip passengers twice, once on arrival and again on departure. The group's rationale is that there are two separate movements therefore two separate needs for airport facilities. However, passengers who just stopover at an airport on route to another destination are only counted once.
By any count, Honolulu is a busy airport. For passenger movements last year it ended up just behind La Guardia, which handled 23.8 million passengers.
At the top of the international list for the second year in a row was Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta, with 77.9 million passengers. Second for the third year in a row was Chicago's O'Hare, with 72.6 million, followed by Los Angeles International, with 63.9 million.
Next came London, Dallas/Fort Worth and Haneda Airport in Tokyo. Tokyo's international airport, Narita, ranked 31st with 25.7 million passengers. New York's JFK ranked 20th with 32 million passengers.
Honolulu Airport recorded more passengers than internationally famous hubs in Munich, Germany; Sydney, Australia; and Mexico City.
As the hub of an island state where both residents and tourists make numerous interisland hops, Honolulu has long been recognized as one of the world's busiest airports.
Other Hawaii airports also made the list.
According to ACI, Maui's Kahului Airport handled 5.9 million travelers last year, making it 129th busiest in the world. Lihue Airport on Kauai was ranked 208th with 2.7 million passengers and Keahole Airport, Kona, was 212th with 2.6 million. Hilo was No. 268, with 1.6 million people.
