Istanbul airport has officially overtaken Heathrow as Europe’s busiest airport by passenger numbers, a development that has led the London hub to declare that its “case for expansion has never been clearer.” While figures show 9 million passengers passed through Heathrow’s terminals in July, the airport reported a total of 7.86 million in its official statement, compared with 8.15 million for Istanbul’s new airport located away from the city.
For more than two decades before the pandemic, Heathrow served more passengers than any other European airport, according to annual figures from the trade body Airports Council International. The UK’s biggest airport, located in west London, lost its pre-eminent position in 2020 amid coronavirus travel restrictions before regaining it in 2023.
Heathrow’s July passenger total was 1.5% down compared with the same month last year, a decline partly attributed to the war on Iran, while the Turkish hub recorded a 2.3% increase. Heathrow’s two runways currently operate at near full capacity, and the airport is actively seeking government permission to build a third. A £33bn expansion plan would enable it to accommodate 150 million passengers a year.
The airport stated: “Our plans will ensure the country gets the infrastructure it needs to stay competitive and will deliver all-important economic growth.” Heathrow’s chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, added: “Expanding Heathrow will help ensure the UK remains home to Europe’s leading hub and continues to benefit from the trade, investment and tourism that increased connectivity will bring.”
The comparison to Istanbul, however, highlights structural differences. The current main Istanbul airport opened in late 2018 on a brand new site away from residential neighborhoods, replacing the existing Ataturk airport. It possesses a significantly larger footprint and operates 24 hours a day. The Turkish hub’s growth is also bolstered by its strategic location near the Gulf, which has become a primary crossroads for international air travel.
Istanbul airport’s chief executive, Selahattin Bilgen, described the milestone as significant. “Thanks to our three independent runways, which can be operated simultaneously 24 hours a day, our advanced operational capabilities and high capacity, we have successfully overcome the capacity constraints faced by many major global hub airports,” Bilgen said. He noted that a fourth runway is expected to be operational by the end of this year.
Domestically, other UK hubs reported strong performance. London Stansted recorded its busiest month ever in July, welcoming 3.1 million passengers, representing a 6.3% increase year-on-year. Manchester Airport also achieved a record July, serving 3.4 million passengers.
The political debate regarding the expansion remains active. The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, launched a consultation on the renamed Heathrow expansion national policy statement in June, which sets out the conditions for the third runway to proceed. The then chancellor, Rachel Reeves, previously stated she was determined to get “spades in the ground” in the current parliament, with the goal of completion by 2035.
Opposition to the project persists in some quarters. Andy Burnham has previously expressed concerns over the expansion, arguing that the plans divert critical infrastructure investment “away from the north and traps it in London.” As the debate continues, Heathrow remains focused on its goal to reclaim its status as Europe’s premier aviation hub. The report also notes that it has a vastly bigger footprint and is able to operate 24 hours a day. The report also notes that “With the addition of our fourth runway, which is set to become operational by the end of this year, we aim to take this growth even further by increasing the capacity we provide to airlines and passengers while elevating the quality of our services to the next level.”.
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