Roberta Aguirre
Europe is home to some of the world's busiest and most well-known airports. In this article, we will be taking a look at the top 5 busiest airports in Europe, based on passenger traffic. From London to Moscow, these airports offer a range of experiences and conveniences to travellers from across the globe. Whether you're after a quick nap, some last-minute shopping, or a bite to eat, these airports have something for everyone. So, without further ado, let's dive into the top 5 busiest airports in Europe.
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What You'll Learn
London Heathrow: busiest airport in Europe in 2017
London Heathrow was the busiest airport in Europe in 2024, but it didn't win any awards. In 2025, Paris Charles de Gaulle was named the best airport in Europe for the third year in a row.
London Heathrow is part of the London airport system, which is the busiest in the world by passenger count. Heathrow itself has been ranked as the seventh busiest airport in the world. In 2025, it was ranked 21st in the world by Skytrax, which conducts a global survey of customers at 565 airports around the world.
In 2025, the world's best airport was named as Singapore Changi by Skytrax for the 13th time. Changi Airport has multiple indoor gardens, including a butterfly centre, and the world's largest indoor waterfall, the 40-metre-high Rain Vortex. It also features spas, hotels, art exhibitions, a cinema, and a dinosaur theme park.
In 2025, Hamad International in Qatar was named the world's second-best airport. It was followed by Tokyo Haneda, Seoul's Incheon International, Narita International, and Hong Kong International.
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Paris Charles de Gaulle: second busiest airport in Europe
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) is the largest and busiest international airport in France. It is located 23 km northeast of central Paris in the suburban commune of Roissy-en-France, which is why it is sometimes referred to as Roissy Airport. In a good year, the airport sees over 76 million passengers pass through its three terminals, with nearly 500,000 flights arriving and departing from destinations around the world. It is the ninth busiest airport in the world and the second busiest in Europe, after London's Heathrow Airport.
The airport covers 32.38 square kilometres (12.50 sq mi) of land, including terminals and runways, and spans over three départements and six communes. The choice to construct an international aviation hub outside of central Paris was made due to the limited prospect of potential relocations or expropriations and the possibility of further expansion in the future. The airport is managed by Groupe ADP (Aéroports de Paris), which also manages Orly Airport, located south of Paris, and Le Bourget Airport, used for general aviation and the Paris Air Shows.
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport serves as the principal hub for Air France and a destination for other legacy carriers, including Star Alliance, Oneworld, and SkyTeam. It is also an operating base for easyJet and Norse Atlantic Airways. The airport is served by more than 105 airlines, the greatest number in Europe. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Star Alliance members were assigned to Terminal 1, Oneworld members to Terminal 2A, and SkyTeam members to Terminals 2C, 2E, 2D, 2F, and 2G. Today, the alliances have been reassigned to different terminals due to the closure of Terminal 2A.
The planning and construction phase of the airport, then known as Aéroport de Paris Nord (Paris North Airport), began in 1966. The airport opened on March 8, 1974, and was renamed Charles de Gaulle Airport. Terminal 1 was designed by Paul Andreu, who also designed the extensions and Terminal 2, which opened in 1981. Terminal 1 features an avant-garde design with a ten-floor-high circular building surrounded by seven satellite buildings, each with six gates allowing sunlight to enter through apertures. Terminal 2, on the other hand, initially had a traditional linear layout but has evolved into a series of distinct terminals, designated as 2A through to 2G.
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Frankfurt: third busiest airport in Europe
Frankfurt Airport is the third busiest airport in Europe, preceded by Istanbul Airport and London–Heathrow. It is also the busiest airport in Germany by passenger traffic, handling 60.786 million passengers in 2016, 64.5 million in 2017, and nearly 70 million in 2018. As of 2022, Frankfurt Airport serves 330 destinations across five continents, making it the airport with the most direct routes globally.
Frankfurt Airport is located 12 km (7.5 mi) southwest of central Frankfurt, near the Autobahn interchange Frankfurter Kreuz, where two of the most heavily used motorways in Europe (A3 and A5) meet. The airport grounds, which form a city district of Frankfurt named Frankfurt-Flughafen, are surrounded by the Frankfurt City Forest. The southern portion of the airport grounds extend partially into the towns of Rüsselsheim am Main and Mörfelden-Walldorf, and a western portion lies within Kelsterbach. The airport is centrally located in the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region, Germany's third-largest metropolitan region, which itself is situated in the densely populated megalopolis of west-central Europe.
Frankfurt Airport has four runways and two passenger terminals, with a capacity of up to 65 million passengers per year. The airport welcomed 4.9 million passengers in October 2022, a 45.3% increase year-on-year. In 2023, the airport served 59.4 million passengers, with 91.8% travelling internationally and 8.2% on domestic flights.
Frankfurt Airport is also the busiest airport in Europe in terms of cargo traffic. In 2010, it was the second busiest airport by cargo traffic in Europe after Paris–Charles de Gaulle Airport, handling 2,231,348 metric tonnes of loaded and unloaded freight. The airport has two large cargo areas, CargoCity Nord and CargoCity Süd, which accommodate freight handling facilities and various transport companies. On 22 December 2023, the airport handled 7,474 tons of air freight, the highest cargo volume of that year.
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Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen: busiest airport in Europe in 2022
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, located 32 km southeast of Istanbul's city centre, was among the busiest airports in Europe in 2022. The airport is named after Sabiha Gökçen, the adoptive daughter of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the first female fighter pilot in the world. Sabiha Gökçen Airport is located in the Asian part of the transcontinental city and serves as the operating base for AJet and Pegasus Airlines.
The airport was built to meet the booming passenger demands that could not be accommodated by the Atatürk Airport located on the European side. Since 2013, Istanbul Airport (IST) has ranked among the five busiest airports in Europe by passenger traffic. In 2017, Atatürk Airport and Sabiha Gökçen handled over 100 million passengers combined.
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport is well-connected to the city of Istanbul and its wider metropolitan area through various transport options. It is located 14 km from the Pendik railway station and sea-taxi stations, and the M4 metro line has been extended to the airport. Several shuttle bus companies, as well as express public buses, serve Taksim and Kadıköy, and there are coaches to nearby towns and cities.
The airport has consistently grown in passenger numbers and has become Europe's ninth busiest airport. In 2023, the airport served a record 37.1 million passengers, and in the first half of 2024, it ranked second in the mega category, posting a growth of 18.5% compared to the first half of 2019. Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport is one of the largest airports in Turkey and continues to expand and enhance its facilities to boost its position in international air commerce.
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Amsterdam Schiphol: fifth busiest airport in the EU
Amsterdam Schiphol, the main international airport of the Netherlands, is located 9 kilometres (5.6 miles) southwest of Amsterdam in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer in the province of North Holland. It is one of the busiest airports in Europe by both passenger numbers and cargo tonnage.
Amsterdam Schiphol is the fifth-busiest airport in the EU, and third in Europe overall, with almost 72 million passengers in 2019. It is also the busiest airport in Europe in terms of aircraft movements. With an annual cargo tonnage of 1.74 million, it is the fourth busiest in Europe. Schiphol is home to five long take-off and landing runways and one shorter runway. The airport covers a total area of 6,887 acres (2,787 hectares) of land.
The airport is built on the single-terminal concept: one large terminal split into three departure halls. During peak times, Schiphol can handle more than 100 flights an hour. Schiphol is also one of the world's oldest airports, founded in September 1916 as a military airbase during World War I. The airport is set to expand, with a fifth terminal planned to open in the 2030s.
The Schiphol air traffic control tower, at 101 metres (331 feet) tall, was the tallest in the world when constructed in 1991. Schiphol is geographically one of the world's lowest major commercial airports, with the entire airport below sea level. The runways are around 3 metres (9.8 feet) below Dutch Normaal Amsterdams Peil (NAP). It is one of only eleven airports worldwide below sea level, the fifth lowest with scheduled flights, and the third lowest with international flights.
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