European airport traffic continues to surge – for now

While major hubs see steady growth, smaller airports struggle to recover from pre-pandemic levels

Mar 19, 2025

In January, passenger numbers at European airports increased by 6.9% compared to the previous year, driven mainly by an 8.3% rise in international travel. However, domestic air travel grew by only 2.7% and remained 12.5% below pre-pandemic levels, reflecting structural market changes.

Key takeaways

• Overall growth: Passenger traffic at European airports rose by **6.9%** in January.
• International vs. domestic travel: International travel surged by 8.3%, while domestic travel increased only 2.7% and remained below 2019 levels.
• Major airports: Large hubs (handling over 40M passengers annually) grew by 7%; Istanbul led with 6.4M passengers, followed by Heathrow, Paris CDG, Madrid, and Amsterdam.
• Smaller airports: Despite 19.7% growth, regional and small airports are still struggling, with 31.9% lower traffic than in 2019.
• Recovery challenges: Less than half (46%) of small airports have fully recovered from the pandemic’s impact.

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