Passenger growth slows in second quarter
ACI EUROPE reported that passenger traffic across Europe’s airport network increased by 2.6% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier.
Passenger volumes rose by 1.3% in the second quarter, compared with a 4.3% increase in the first quarter. The slowdown reflected the impact of the war in the Middle East, with decreased traffic to the region and some airlines cutting capacity in response to higher jet fuel prices.
Domestic passenger traffic increased by 3% in the first half, exceeding the 2.5% rise in international traffic. It was the first time since the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that domestic traffic outperformed international travel.
Airports in the EU+ market, comprising the EU, European Economic Area, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, recorded passenger growth of 2.6%. Airports in non-EU+ markets grew by 2.5%, while the EU market alone rose by 3.2%.
Geopolitical conditions affect national markets
ACI Europe Director General Olivier Jankovec said geopolitical developments increasingly shaped airport traffic performance in 2026. Passenger growth stalled or declined in several national markets by June, while Europeans continued to prioritize air travel and North Americans visited Europe in record numbers during the summer.
Jankovec said long, unpredictable and unacceptable waiting times at Schengen Entry/Exit System border controls had begun to act as a deterrent to travel and undermined Europe’s standing and reputation as an efficient and welcoming destination. He said the evolution of the war in the Middle East and its operational and macroeconomic repercussions would largely determine the trajectory of European air traffic through the remainder of the year.
National results varied considerably. In the EU+ market, Slovakia recorded the strongest first-half passenger increase, at 101.3%, followed by Malta at 15.6% and Slovenia at 14.7%.
Iceland’s passenger traffic fell by 7.1%, Cyprus declined by 4.4%, and Austria recorded a 2.6% decrease. Among the largest EU+ markets, Italy grew by 4.2% and Spain by 3.7%, while France rose by 0.6% and the United Kingdom by 0.4%. Germany’s traffic fell by 1.2%.
In non-EU+ markets, North Macedonia posted growth of 27.9%, Moldova rose by 21%, Albania by 17.2%, Uzbekistan by 15.7%, Armenia by 11%, and Montenegro by 10.4%. Israel’s traffic fell by 19.2%, while Azerbaijan declined by 3%, Georgia by 2.5% and Kosovo by 1.5%. Türkiye’s airport traffic increased by 2.8%.
Major hubs record limited gains
Major airports handling more than 40 million passengers grew by 0.8% in the first half. London Heathrow remained Europe’s busiest airport, handling a record 40 million passengers, up 0.2% from the first half of 2025. Istanbul Airport followed with 39.84 million passengers, up 1.6%.
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen grew by 6.4%, while Barcelona increased by 4.4% and Madrid by 4.2%. London Gatwick’s passenger traffic fell by 5.2%, Munich declined by 4.2% and Frankfurt was down 0.8%. Amsterdam Schiphol fell by 0.3%, Paris-Charles de Gaulle declined by 0.2%, and Rome Fiumicino rose by 0.3%.
Mega airports handling 25 million to 40 million passengers increased by 1.9%. Copenhagen rose by 6.8%, Malaga by 6.7% and Dublin by 5.9%. Zurich increased by 5.6% and Athens by 4.5%.
Smaller airports lead growth
Large airports handling 10 million to 25 million passengers saw traffic increase by 3.9%, while medium airports handling 1 million to 10 million passengers saw traffic increase by 3.7%. Growth was largely driven by selective expansion of low-cost carriers and the resilience of leisure and visiting-friends-and-relatives demand.
Tirana recorded the fastest growth among large airports, up 17.2%, followed by Tashkent at 16.9%, Malta at 15.6%, Kraków at 15.1% and Milan Linate at 10.3%.
Among medium airports, Bratislava recorded growth of 122.7%, followed by Skopje at 28.6%, Trapani at 28.3%, Varna at 21.2% and Chișinău at 21%.
Small airports handling fewer than 1 million passengers had the fastest annual growth rate, at 8.6%. Despite the increase, the segment remained 33.2% below its first-half 2019 passenger level, making it the only airport category yet to recover to pre-pandemic volumes.
Stockholm Bromma grew by 518.8%, Bucharest Băneasa by 286.3%, Logroño-Agoncillo by 69.6%, Beja by 55.5% and Växjö-Kronoberg by 47.9%.
In a separate airport-group data section, airports handling more than 40 million passengers reported a 0.8% decline in passenger traffic compared with the first half of 2025, while mega airports reported a 1.9% decline. Large, medium and small airports reported growth of 3.9%, 3.7% and 8.6%, respectively.
Freight and aircraft movements
European airport freight traffic increased by 0.7% in the first half from a year earlier and was 11.2% above its first-half 2019 level.
Among Europe’s 10 largest freight airports, Leipzig recorded growth of 12.7%, followed by Istanbul at 10.8% and Amsterdam at 10%. Paris-Charles de Gaulle recorded a 30.7% decline in freight traffic.
Aircraft movements rose by 1% compared with the first half of 2025 but remained 1.5% below first-half 2019 levels.
