In 2024, European airports experienced significant growth, with 2.5 billion passengers passing through – a 7.4 per cent increase from the previous year. This surpassed pre-Covid levels, with overall traffic for the year being 1.8 per cent above levels from 2019. However, despite this growth, 47 per cent of European airports are still below their pre-pandemic volumes. Structural changes in the aviation market and geopolitics have resulted in performance gaps across national and individual airport markets, according to the Airports Council International (ACI) Europe.
The growth in Europe’s airports in 2024 was primarily driven by international passenger traffic, which increased by 8.8 per cent compared to the previous year. In contrast, domestic passenger traffic only grew by 2.5 per cent, remaining 6.3 per cent below pre-pandemic levels. This growth was more pronounced in the first half of the year and during off-peak months traditionally associated with lower traffic. Factors contributing to this growth include a partial shift to rail, strong cross-border mobility within the EU Single Market, and increased demand in emerging markets outside the EU, ACI Europe reported.
Europe’s busiest airports in 2024 included London Heathrow, Istanbul, Paris CDG, Amsterdam Schiphol, and Madrid. London Heathrow retained its position as Europe’s busiest airport, welcoming 83.9 million passengers, an increase of 5.9 per cent from the previous year. Airports in the EU+ market, including Hungary, Czechia, and Estonia, saw a 7.8 per cent increase in passenger traffic in 2024, outperforming airports in the rest of Europe. Geopolitical factors impacted certain areas more severely, with passenger traffic decreasing significantly in Israel, Russia, and Ukraine.
Looking ahead to 2025, ACI Europe forecasts a 4 per cent growth in passenger traffic, despite challenges such as airlines’ fleet management issues, air traffic management capacity shortages, ill-advised aviation policies, and geopolitical uncertainties. Director General of ACI Europe, Olivier Jankovec, emphasized the importance of keeping these forecasts under review due to the unpredictable nature of global political and economic conditions. Despite these challenges, Jankovec expects demand for air travel to remain strong in the coming months, defying sluggish European economies and consumer confidence.
The growth of Europe’s airports in 2024 reflects major structural shifts following the Covid-19 pandemic, with passengers increasingly prioritizing travel and experiences. This growth was achieved despite challenges such as inflated airfares, supply pressures, tepid economic growth, and geopolitical tensions. Low-cost carriers played a significant role in defining traffic performance, with leisure travel and visits to friends and relatives driving passenger demand. Small airports with fewer than one million passengers experienced the slowest growth in 2024 and remained significantly below their pre-pandemic levels, highlighting the challenges they face in recovery due to structural market changes and regulatory developments.
