Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - Denver International Airport moved up a notch to become the fifth-busiest airport in the nation last year, despite a 7 percent drop in traffic, according to preliminary figures. DIA moved up from sixth-busiest at the expense of San Francisco International Airport, which fell to No. 10 as traffic declined nearly 16 percent. Early in the year DIA was on target to slip to seventh place, but the effects of Sept. 11 checked quick growth at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. The preliminary year-end traffic numbers come from Geneva-based Airports Council International, which said total global air traffic fell 2.6 percent during 2001, with a 6 percent decline in North America. Before Sept. 11, global traffic was growing at a 3 percent rate. With 36.1 million passengers in 2001, DIA was the 10th-busiest airport in the world, up from 11th in 2000. "What the numbers really say is that we weren't hit as hard with service reductions after Sept. 11 as some airports apparently were," said DIA communications manager Amy Bourgeron. DIA officials don't pay too much attention to the standings, she said, but the numbers help them promote DIA and plan growth. DIA's traffic fell 6.9 percent in 2001, similar to the decline at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, the second-busiest airport. United Airlines operates its two biggest hubs at the airports and cut back flights by about 20 percent after Sept. 11. But cutbacks in San Francisco, where United also has a hub, were more drastic and began before Sept. 11 as the ailing technology sector reduced travel volumes. Traffic at another United hub, Los Angeles International Airport, the nation's third-busiest, fell 8.3 percent. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport retained its No. 1 ranking.