Istanbul Airport keeps crown of Europe’s busiest air hub in 2024 - Get updated on what's happening in tourism!

For the third consecutive year, Istanbul Airport has maintained its position as Europe’s busiest air hub, averaging 1,401 daily flights in 2024, according to Eurocontrol’s data released on Thursday.

The Turkish hub continued to lead the continent’s aviation recovery, underscoring its significance in the region’s air traffic network with a 2% year-on-year hike in the figure.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport climbed to second place with 1,336 daily flights, surpassing London Heathrow, which came third with 1,302 daily flights. Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt rounded out the top five, handling 1,275 and 1,204 daily flights, respectively.

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.

Meanwhile, 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

In 2024, European air traffic reached 10.7 million flights, 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 Northeastern European countries, on the other hand, struggled to recover due to airspace closures, flight bans, and reduced demand.

The UK led Europe last year with the highest average number of daily flights (5,488 per day), a 4% rise compared to the previous year.

Spain ranked second with 4,984 daily flights (up 8%), followed by Germany at 4,711 daily flights (up 4%).

Italy showed the most significant growth among the top 10, with a 9% increase in flights, driven by strong connections with Spain (up 13%), Germany (up 7%), and Poland (up 25%). Its domestic traffic also grew by 3%.

Four countries in the top 10 surpassed their 2019 traffic levels, including Greece (+18%), Türkiye (+12%), Spain (+8%), and Italy (+6%).

However, some states, including Germany (-16%) and Switzerland (-2%), have yet to fully recover, with Germany facing reduced internal demand and a shift to alternative travel modes like rail.

Ukraine's airspace has remained closed since February 2022, with neighboring airspaces taking on increased traffic to compensate, Eurocontrol said, adding that the ongoing conflict in Israel, which began in Oct. 2023, has disrupted various air traffic flows, as flights are unable to traverse the affected zone.

Similarly, geopolitical tensions have impacted air routes in Armenia, particularly overflights, further contributing to shifts in regional traffic patterns.

Key market trends

Low-cost carriers continued to lead growth in 2024, with an 8% increase in activity, closely followed by mainline carriers, which grew by 7%.

Combined, these two segments accounted for 70% of European traffic (34% and 36%, respectively).

Business aviation, charter, and regional services remained steady, while cargo and military flights saw slight declines.

Challenges and opportunities

Despite the growth, challenges persisted. En-route air traffic management (ATFM) delays averaged 2.1 minutes per flight, led by growing traffic, airspace constraints, and extreme weather events during the summer, besides staffing shortages.

On a brighter note, jet fuel prices averaged $2.39 per gallon, 10% lower than in 2023, while air ticket prices slightly fell by 1%. Arrival punctuality improved marginally to 72.5%, although it remained below 2019 levels.

Outlook for 2025

Eurocontrol forecasts a full recovery of European air traffic in 2025, with flight numbers expected to reach or even surpass 2019 levels during some months.

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

Image Credit: © AA