- European airport passenger traffic increased 2.6pc in H1 2026.
- Q2 growth slowed to 1.3pc from Q1’s 4.3pc.
- Domestic passenger traffic outperformed international for the first time post-pandemic.
- London Heathrow remained the busiest with 40m passengers.
- Slovakia grew 101.3pc, the best national performance.
Dublin’s growth of 5.9pc has been singled out in ACI Europe air traffic data showing passenger traffic across the European airport network increased by 2.6pc in H1 2026 compared to the same period last year.
The pace of growth slowed in Q2 to 1.3pc versus Q1 at 4.3pc, reflecting the impact of the war in the Middle East and airlines cutting capacity in response to higher jet fuel prices. For the first time since the pandemic recovery, domestic passenger traffic (3pc) outperformed international passenger traffic (2.5pc).
Major airports grew at 0.8pc, with London Heathrow remaining the busiest European airport welcoming 40m passengers, followed by Istanbul (39.84m). Mega airports grew 1.9pc, with best performances from Copenhagen (6.8pc), Malaga (6.7pc) and Dublin (5.9pc). Large airports grew 3.9pc and Medium airports grew 3.7pc, driven by low-cost carrier expansion and resilient leisure demand.
The best national performances came from Slovakia (101.3pc), Malta (15.6pc) and Slovenia (14.7pc), while Iceland (-7.1pc), Cyprus (-4.4pc) and Austria (-2.6pc) posted the weakest. Olivier Jankovec, Director General, stated geopolitics have increasingly shaped traffic performance and growth has clearly lost momentum. He noted the evolution of the war in the Middle East will largely determine the trajectory of European air traffic.
Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI EUROPE, shared, “There is no escaping the fact that geopolitics have increasingly been shaping traffic performance this year.
