Use the news: Airport traffic rankings shift

Lesson for grades 5-8

Air travel dropped dramatically due to the coronavirus epidemic last year, and as a result the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, is no longer the busiest airport in the world.

Traffic at Hartsfield-Jackson dropped 61% in 2020, opening the way for Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, China, to take the top spot, according to statistics compiled this year by the Airports Council International.

The Guangzhou airport also experienced a drop in traffic — of 40% — but attracted 43.8 million passengers in 2020 to edge ahead of Atlanta’s 42.9 million passengers. The Atlanta airport had been the world’s busiest for 22 consecutive years.

Seven of the world’s 10 busiest airports in 2020 were in China, which experienced the coronavirus earlier than other nations but also moved toward recovery earlier.

Among American airports, Dallas/Fort Worth in Texas ranked fourth in the listing with 39.4 million passengers in 2020 and Denver International in Colorado ranked seventh with 33.7 million passengers in 2020.

The drop in air travel had a huge effect on business in the airline industry in 2020.

Activity: In the newspaper or online, find and closely read stories about efforts by airlines to recover and bounce back. Use what you read to write a business column outlining steps different airlines are taking and which you think are the most important.