In the second in our series on the world's leading airports, we review Beijing's remarkable rise up the world rankings. Ten years ago, the world’s busiest airport was Atlanta. In 2010, it still held that position, but the next 29 slots have seen stunning rearrangements. For instance 2010’s second place winner, Beijing, was not even in the top 30 in 2000. It just barely made the top 50, ranking in the 49th position with 18.2 million passengers and a growth rate of 7.9%. The only airport in China that had a noteworthy position was Hong Kong, at number 23.