Istanbul Airport Is Busiest Air Hub in Europe

Istanbul airport, Turkiye’s largest airport, has maintained retained its position as the busiest air hub in Europe for the third successive year in 2024, considering average daily flights. The country was also ranked sixth among European countries with the busiest traffic volume.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said that Istanbul Airport, with an average of 1,401 daily flights, emerged as the busiest airport in Europe surpassing airports in European capitals such as Amsterdam, London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Barcelona and Paris.

The Minister cited the “European Aviation Overview Report” for 2024, which was published by the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) on January 23.

“Istanbul finished the year in top position for the third year in a row with 1,401average daily flights,” Eurocontrol said in a comprehensive report, detailing the state of air traffic across European continent last year.

The traffic at the Istanbul airport surged 2% compared to a year earlier, the Eurocontrol’s data revealed, leaving behind airports in major metropolises in Europe.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport climbed to second place with 1,336 daily flights, surpassing London Heathrow, which came third with 1,302 daily flights, while Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris and Frankfurt were in fourth and fifth places handling 1,275 and 1,204 daily flights, respectively.

The data also showed that Rome Fiumicino ranked ninth and enjoyed the largest traffic hike among Europe’s top 10 airports, with an 18% rise in flights compared to 2023. On the other hand, Barcelona and Rome both reached pre-pandemic traffic levels, with Barcelona setting a new single-day record of 1,173 flights on June 21, 2024.

European Air Traffic Recovery

The European air traffic reached 10.7 million flights last year, climbing 5% from the previous year but making 96% of 2019 levels. The recovery varied across regions. Southern European countries exceeded pre-COVID-19 traffic levels, driven by strong demand for tourism and shifting airline route patterns.

Northern and North Eastern European countries, on the other hand, struggled to recover due to airspace closures, flight bans, and reduced demand.

Regarding the outlook for 2025, Eurocontrol forecasts a full recovery of European air traffic, with flight numbers expected to reach or even surpass 2019 levels.

Southern Mediterranean destinations are predicted to remain popular, driven by strong tourism flows within Europe and from northern countries.

The Turkiye’s Minister hoped that the Istanbul airport, one of the country’s mega projects, has served over 338 million passengers since its opening, with over 255 million traveling on international routes.

He also said that ITurkiye ranked sixth among European countries with the busiest traffic volume, with an average of 3,140 daily flights.

“Our success in flight density also extended to flight delay durations. When we examined delay times in Eurocontrol airspace, Turkish airspace became one of the most efficient in Europe, with an average delay of less than 0.5 minutes per flight,” he added.

According to Eurocontrol’s data, 22 out of 30 airports reported departure punctuality improvements compared with 2023. The report listed some of the airports with notable improvement as Copenhagen, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen, Istanbul Airport and Dublin.