Türkiye's largest airport has maintained its top position as the busiest air hub in Europe for the third year in a row in 2024, considering average daily flights, a senior official said on Sunday citing a recent report. Türkiye also ranked sixth among European countries with the busiest traffic volume.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu stated that Istanbul Airport, with an average of 1,401 daily flights, is the busiest airport in Europe.
"The airport maintained its top position in 2024, surpassing airports in European capitals such as Amsterdam, London, and Paris," he said in a written statement shared on Sunday.
"Thus, it has completed three consecutive years at the top of Europe," he added.
The minister evaluated the "European Aviation Overview Report" for the previous year, published by the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) on Jan. 23.
"Istanbul finished the year in top position for the third year in a row with 1,401 average daily flights," Eurocontrol said in a comprehensive report, detailing the state of air traffic across European continent last year.
The traffic at the airport surged 2% compared to a year earlier, the data revealed, leaving behind airports in major metropolises from Amsterdam, London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt, Madrid Barajas and Barcelona.
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.
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.
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 during some months.
Southern Mediterranean destinations are predicted to remain popular, driven by strong tourism flows within Europe and from northern countries.
Uraloğlu meanwhile conveyed the expectations that Istanbul Airport would maintain its top position in the coming years. He noted that Istanbul Airport, one of Türkiye's mega projects, has served over 338 million passengers since its opening, with over 255 million traveling on international routes.
The minister also highlighted Türkiye ranks 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 noted.
Indeed, Eurocontrol suggested that in 2024, 22 out of 30 airports posted departure punctuality improvements compared to 2023. The report listed some of the airports with notable improvement as Copenhagen, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen, Istanbul Airport and Dublin.
