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Heathrow has lost its crown as Europe’s busiest airport, with Istanbul welcoming almost 300,000 more passengers than the London hub in July.
The shift comes as Heathrow has seen a summer dip in passenger numbers, particularly on Middle East routes, while its long-running push for a third runway gathers pace.
Figures, released annually by the trade body Airports Council International, reveal that Heathrow was Europe’s busiest airport from 1996 to 2019.
In 2020, it lost its top spot as coronavirus travel restrictions took hold. It regained its title in 2023 and held onto it until this year.
Now, though, the latest figures released by the airport show that 7.86 million passengers passed through its four terminals in July – a relatively low amount.
In contrast, Istanbul airport recorded 8.15 million passengers over the same month, traditionally among the busiest dates for the hubs.
In simple terms, that means Heathrow’s July passenger total saw a 1.5% decrease compared with the same month last year, while Istanbul saw a 2.3% boost when compared to last July.
Heathrow was particularly badly hit by the ongoing Iran-US conflict, with passenger numbers across Middle East routes down 20.2% year-on-year in July.
In a statement, representatives for the airport said the “case for expansion has never been clearer”.
It currently operates its two runways at almost full capacity, and has been seeking government permission to build a third runway for some time now.
Heathrow’s expansion proposal would see it able to process some 150 million passengers per year, up from just under 85 million in 2025.
It’s not clear when – or if – the proposal will be given the go-ahead, though.
Recently sacked Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said she’d hoped for a third runway by 2035, but the UK’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham seems to be less keen.
He previously said the plans would divert investment “away from the North and traps it in London”.
Despite the dip in passenger numbers, Heathrow is still very busy and popular. 19 July was its busiest day so far this year, with 267,000 passengers recorded.
New airlines have also started serving the airport from July, including Italy’s ITA Airways, Alaska Airlines and Riyadh Air.