Istanbul Airport (IGA) has made headlines again by setting a new record for daily passenger traffic among all European airports, handling 272,132 travelers in a single day this past Sunday. The previous record was held by London Heathrow, which recorded 268,000 passengers on June 30, 2024.
This achievement follows a major infrastructure upgrade earlier this year, with the opening of a third runway, which increased the airport’s hourly flight capacity from 120 to 148. On July 18, Istanbul Airport also set a record for the most daily flights, reaching 1,695 departures and arrivals.
Europe’s Busiest Airport in July
According to July 2025 data from OAG, Istanbul Airport remains the busiest in Europe. Last month, it served 4.75 million passengers, marking an 8% increase from July 2024 — the highest year-over-year growth among the top 10 European airports.
London Heathrow followed with 4.53 million passengers, maintaining last year’s volume. Paris Charles de Gaulle came in third with 4.04 million. Also included in the top 10 were Frankfurt, Amsterdam Schiphol, Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona El Prat, Rome Fiumicino, and Munich.
Notably, Istanbul’s second major airport — Sabiha Gökçen — showed the largest percentage growth, with a 13% increase, handling 2.58 million passengers in July.
Europe’s 10 Busiest Airports in July 2025:
Istanbul Airport (IGA) – 4,754,253
London Heathrow (LHR) – 4,534,833
Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) – 4,039,652
Frankfurt (FRA) – 3,816,872
Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) – 3,783,928
Madrid-Barajas (MAD) – 3,393,949
Barcelona El Prat (BCN) – 3,141,516
Rome Fiumicino (FCO) – 2,989,438
Munich (MUC) – 2,643,010
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) – 2,578,165
These figures make one thing clear: Turkey has firmly established itself as a central aviation hub for Europe. Istanbul Airport isn’t just keeping up — it’s setting the pace.
