ACI EUROPE reports 100m extra airport passengers in 2025

ACI EUROPE has reported European airport passenger traffic reached a record 2.6bn in 2025 an increase of 4.4pc over 2024 adding 100m passengers. International traffic drove the growth at 5.6pc while domestic remained flat at 0.2pc with non EU+ airports outperforming EU+ at 6.2pc versus 4pc. The fourth quarter accelerated to 6.1pc signalling positive momentum into 2026 with projected normalised growth around 3.3pc.

Freight traffic rose 3.2pc and aircraft movements increased 3.2pc reflecting resilience amid economic pressures high fares supply constraints and geopolitical volatility. London Heathrow led with 84.48m passengers followed closely by Istanbul at 84.44m while Paris CDG Amsterdam Schiphol and Madrid rounded out the top five. Director General Olivier Jankovec noted aviation’s role as an economic driver intertwined with experiential tourism while calling for policy recognition of its strategic importance.

Olivier Jankovec shared “If anything last year’s traffic performance is yet another proof that air connectivity is a powerful and largely resilient economic driver increasingly intertwined with tourism. This reflects the rise of experiential consumption over material consumption a deep seated cross generational structural shift that is reshaping our economies and for which Europe is uniquely well positioned. This means aviation is a critical enabler of competitiveness. Yet too many governments and policy makers still fail to connect the dots and do not treat aviation as the strategic asset it is especially in the EU. Passenger traffic at Europe’s airports is set to continue expanding this year with growth expected to further normalise at around +3.3pc.

Upside potential stems from modestly improving European economic prospects while travel remains among consumers’ top discretionary spending priorities even as geopolitics and geoeconomics are likely to further test the sector’s resilience. Many airports are also likely to benefit from Europeans being more prone to travel within Europe rather than externally while our continent will remain a destination of choice for non Europeans. Meanwhile Europe’s airlines are projected to deliver the strongest financial performance globally and the supply chain pressures constraining their capacity deployment are expected to somewhat ease. However infrastructure capacity both on the ground and in the air will remain a key bottleneck. We are especially concerned with the full rollout of the Schengen Entry/Exit System as of April.”