London Heathrow continues to hold the title of Europe’s busiest airport, recording more than 84.48 million passengers throughout 2025. According to figures released by Airports Council International (ACI) World, the facility ranks seventh globally. While this marks a two-place drop in the world rankings compared to the previous year, the airport still experienced a 0.7% increase in traffic from 2024 and a 4.4% rise against 2019 levels. These statistics are based on the total number of passengers boarding and disembarking, with transit passengers counted only once.
Istanbul Airport followed closely behind the UK capital with 84.43 million passengers. Although it slipped from seventh to eighth in the global rankings, the airport has seen substantial growth since 2019, when it was positioned 28th. Paris Charles de Gaulle secured the third spot in Europe with 72 million passengers, a 2.5% increase over 2024, though still 5.4% lower than its 2019 performance. It currently ranks 14th worldwide.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Madrid-Barajas Airport rounded out the top five in Europe. Schiphol recorded 68.77 million passengers, placing it 17th globally, with numbers up 2.9% from 2024 but down 4.1% from 2019. Madrid-Barajas saw a more robust recovery, handling 68.11 million passengers, which represents a 3% increase over 2024 and a 10.4% rise compared to 2019, earning it the 18th position in the world. Globally, the air travel industry saw 9.8 billion passengers in 2025, nearing the 10 billion-passenger threshold.
The top 10 busiest airports in the world for 2025 by total passengers were: 1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia, US: 106,302,208; 2. Dubai International Airport, UAE: 95,192,160; 3. Tokyo Haneda Airport, Japan: 91,679,814; 4. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, US: 85,660,127; 5. Shanghai Pudong International Airport, China: 84,994,548; 6. O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, US: 84,856,018; 7. London Heathrow Airport, UK: 84,482,126; 8. Istanbul Airport, Turkey: 84,437,710; 9. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China: 83,582,952; 10. Denver International Airport, Colorado, US: 82,427,962.
When examining international passenger traffic specifically, Europe’s airports demonstrated a stronger global presence. London Heathrow again led the continent and ranked second worldwide with 79.87 million international passengers, indicating that approximately 4.6 million of its total traffic was domestic. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol followed in fifth place globally with 68.76 million international passengers. Other European hubs appearing in the global top 10 for international travel included Istanbul Airport in sixth, Paris Charles de Gaulle in seventh, and Frankfurt in ninth. The ACI World report noted that European airports continue to serve as some of the world's largest international gateways, despite operating near capacity in several key markets.
The top 10 list for international passengers in Europe for 2025 is as follows: London Heathrow Airport, UK: 79,874,784; Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Netherlands: 68,767,548; Istanbul Airport, Türkiye: 66,608,849; Paris Charles de Gaulle, France: 66,135,938; Frankfurt Airport, Germany: 57,528,528; Madrid-Barajas Airport, Spain: 51,394,869; Barcelona-El Prat Airport, Spain: 43,256,689; Rome Fiumicino Airport, Italy: 40,606,167; London Gatwick Airport, UK: 39,812,458; Munich Airport, Germany: 37,274,455.
