Istanbul Airport has overtaken London Heathrow in passenger traffic, becoming Europe’s busiest airport in July, according to the latest figures.
A total of 8.15 million passengers travelled through Istanbul Airport during July, compared with 7.86 million passengers handled by London Heathrow, marking a significant shift at the top of Europe’s airport rankings.
Istanbul moves ahead of Heathrow
Heathrow has dominated European airport rankings for decades. According to annual figures from Airports Council International (ACI), the London hub was Europe’s busiest airport from 1996 until 2019.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting travel restrictions disrupted its position in 2020, before Heathrow returned to the top spot in 2023.
The latest July figures, however, put Istanbul Airport ahead of its British counterpart.
Istanbul’s rise also reflects its rapid development as one of the world’s major connecting hubs. Its strategic geographical position between Europe and Asia allows it to serve extensive passenger flows between Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Middle East traffic affects Heathrow
Geopolitical developments in the Middle East have also affected Heathrow’s passenger numbers.
According to figures reported by the BBC, passenger traffic on Heathrow’s Middle Eastern routes declined by 20.2% year-on-year in July, amid the impact of the US-Israel conflict with Iran on regional air travel.
Despite the decline, Heathrow remains one of the world’s most important international aviation hubs.
The airport handled 84.46 million passengers in 2025, while 19 July was its busiest day of the year so far, with approximately 267,000 passengers travelling through its terminals as the summer holiday period began for many schools.
Heathrow also reported that several new airlines started operating at the airport last month, pointing to continued demand from carriers for access to the London hub.
Heathrow looks towards a third runway
The latest figures also bring Heathrow’s long-standing capacity constraints back into focus.
The airport currently operates with two runways that are close to full capacity and is seeking government approval for the construction of a third runway.
Under the expansion proposal presented by Heathrow’s owners, the airport could eventually accommodate as many as 150 million passengers per year.
Heathrow argues that expansion would provide the United Kingdom with the aviation infrastructure required to remain internationally competitive while supporting wider economic growth.
Istanbul’s move ahead of Heathrow nevertheless highlights a broader transformation taking place across European aviation, as major hubs compete for connecting traffic and increasingly important passenger flows between Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
