Heathrow has been Europe’s busiest airport for over 30 years. Now the record has been broken – by Istanbul.
Figures from the west London airport show that 7.86 million passengers traveled through its four terminals in July. In the same period, the Turkish rival had 8.15 million passengers.
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Istanbul Airport will open a fourth runway later this year.
Annual figures from the industry organization Airports Council International show that Heathrow was Europe’s busiest airport from 1996 to 2019. They lost their position in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic – before taking it back in 2023 and have held the title ever since.
Decline for Heathrow – growth for Istanbul
Heathrow’s passenger numbers in July were 1.5 percent lower than the same month last year – while Istanbul saw a growth of 2.3 percent.
The conflict between Iran and the United States has had a negative impact on Heathrow. Passenger numbers on routes to the Middle East in July were down 20.2 per cent compared to the previous year.
Despite this, Heathrow’s two runways are operating almost at full capacity – and are now seeking government permission to build a third. An expansion would make it possible to accommodate 150 million passengers a year.
“Expansion more important than ever”
Heathrow states in a statement:
“Heathrow is operating at full capacity. The need for expansion has never been clearer – now that Istanbul overtook us as Europe’s busiest hub in July. Our plans will ensure that the country has the infrastructure it needs to remain competitive – and deliver the important economic growth.
In June, Minister of Transport Heidi Alexander launched a consultation on the expansion plans, and set the conditions for the project to be realized. At the time, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said at the time that she was determined to get “shovels in the ground” for the third runway during this parliamentary term – and that it would be ready by 2035.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who ousted Reeves, has previously expressed concern about the expansion – claiming that the plans move infrastructure investments “away from the North and trap them in London.”
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Summer peaks and new routes
Heathrow states that July 19 was the busiest day of the year so far – with 267,000 passengers registered as many schools took summer break.
Several new airlines began operating at the airport in July, including ITA Airways from Italy, Alaska Airlines from the US and Riyadh Air from Saudi Arabia – which Heathrow describes as “clear demand for access”.
Heathrow’s CEO Thomas Woldbye says the summer is “off to a bang”, but that they want to move forward – “by expanding the route offer and the passenger service”.
“An expansion of Heathrow will ensure that the UK remains home to Europe’s leading hub, and continues to benefit from the trade, investment and tourism that increased connectivity will bring.
Istanbul—”A Significant Milestone”
Istanbul Airport’s CEO Selahattin Bilgen describes the overtaking of Heathrow as “a significant milestone.”
“Thanks to our three independent runways, which can be operated simultaneously 24 hours a day, advanced operational capabilities and high capacity, we have succeeded in overcoming the capacity challenges faced by many large global hub airports.
“With the fourth runway, which will be operational by the end of the year, we aim to take this growth even further.
