For the 15th straight year, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport handled more passengers than any other airport in 2012, with Beijing posting solid growth but slowing in what some saw as an unstoppable ascent to the top.

Nearly 95.5 million people passed through Atlanta’s major economic engine last year, an increase of 3.35 percent and a new record eclipsing the 92.4 million mark set in 2011, the airport said in a news release.

By contrast, Beijing Capital International Airport hosted 81.93 million passengers in 2012, according to its manager of international affairs, from whom the Atlanta airport received statistics before claiming its crown publicly.

If that figure is accurate, it would represent 4 percent growth in Beijing compared to 78.68 million passengers it handled in 2011, as tracked by Airports Council International, but it would still be 16.6 percent fewer than Hartsfield-Jackson.

That would mean Beijing’s seemingly inexorable ascent to the top slop stalled in 2012 after double-digit growth in 2010 and 6 percent growth in 2011. In addition to traffic constraints, the airport is set to face friendly competition from the new six-runway Beijing Daxing International Airport, which could handle up to 120 million passengers when it comes online in 2018.

Hartsfield-Jackson’s closest competitor in the United States, as usual, was Chicago O’Hare International Airport, which hovered at 66.6 million passengers, -0.1 percent fewer than 2011.

Atlanta also remained on top in 2012 for operations, or takeoffs and landings, at 930,310, up slightly from 923,996 in 2011.

Cargo in Atlanta was down 2.52 percent to 646,481 metric tons from 663,162 a year earlier.

Despite battling for the top slot, Beijing and Atlanta often cooperate, with officials from both sides sharing best practices. Learn more about their relationship here.