Heathrow overtaken by Istanbul as Europe’s busiest airport

Heathrow said the case for expansion has “never been clearer” after it was overtaken by Istanbul as Europe’s busiest airport.

The West London transport hub has long been Europe’s busiest travel destination, and is currently locked in a dispute with the regulator over its plans for a third runway. 

“The case for expansion has never been clearer, as Heathrow was overtaken in July by Istanbul airport as the busiest hub in Europe,” the airport said on Tuesday.

“Our plans will ensure the country gets the infrastructure it needs to stay competitive and will deliver all-important economic growth.”

The UK’s largest airport had been the busiest in Europe since 1996, before losing the title during the covid-19 lockdowns in 2020. The travel hub then regained the gong in 2023 and has held onto it in recent years. 

Heathrow said 7.9m passengers travelled through its terminals in July, down 1.5 per cent on last year, while Istanbul recorded 8.15m passengers over the same period.

The numbers will deliver a warning to the government as Heathrow seeks the final go-ahead on its plans for expansion.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander launched a fresh consultation on the policy in June, and set out the conditions needed for the project to be given approval.

Former Chancellor Rachel Reeves said earlier this year she was determined to get “spades in the ground” for the third runway in the current Parliament and for it to be built by 2035.

The airport marked its busiest day of 2026 on the 19th July as 267,000 passengers flew through the airport.

Heathrow battles for private expansion

“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,” Thomas Woldbye, chief executive said.

The airport boss has hit out at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in recent months after the regulator said it was considering allowing rival firms to build Heathrow’s third runway and imposing tighter curbs on its spending.

Heathrow’s own plans for a privately-funded expansion are “the only ones that can unlock new capacity and long-term benefits for passengers and the UK,” Woldbye has said.

The airport has suffered a hit from the Iran war and travel disruption across the Middle East. Its passenger numbers on routes across the region were down 20 per cent year-on-year in July.

Last month, Woldbye revealed that the airport’s tax bill had more than doubled in the space of a year. 

The Heathrow boss warned that the aviation sector is one of the most heavily taxed in Britain, cautioning that tax hikes would feed through to passengers through higher fares.