London Heathrow no longer Europe's busiest airport
Summary
London Heathrow Airport lost its position as Europe’s busiest airport to Istanbul Airport in July, with Istanbul serving 8.15 million passengers compared to Heathrow’s 7.86 million. Heathrow has faced a drop in Middle East passenger traffic due to the US-Israel conflict with Iran and is planning to expand by building a third runway to handle more passengers.Key Facts
- Istanbul Airport had 8.15 million passengers in July 2025, while Heathrow had 7.86 million.
- Heathrow was Europe’s busiest airport from 1996 to 2019 and again since 2023, except during the 2020 pandemic.
- Passenger numbers on routes to the Middle East from Heathrow fell by 20.2% in July 2025.
- Heathrow operates two runways nearly at full capacity and wants approval to build a third runway.
- The airport recorded 84.46 million passengers in the first half of 2025.
- Heathrow’s busiest day in 2025 was July 19, with 267,000 passengers.
- Heathrow plans an expansion to handle up to 150 million passengers annually.
- The airport will charge airlines higher fees to recover costs spent on the third runway project’s early work.
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