Amsterdam Schiphol Joins London Heathrow, Munich, Paris Charles De Gaulle, Dublin, Istanbul And More In July Airport Travel Growth Momentum Across Europe: Here’s Everything You Need To Know

Published on September 13, 2025

Amsterdam Schiphol joins London Heathrow, Munich, Paris Charles De Gaulle, Dublin, Istanbul, and much successful July airdrome recreation maturation momentum crossed Europe, arsenic rider postulation crossed nan continent surged by 3.1% compared to nan aforesaid period past year, signaling a dependable betterment successful European aviation. Although increasing much slow than successful nan years anterior to nan Covid pandemic, astir European airports, fueled by burgeoning world travel, managed a singular betterment on pinch nan awesome hubs, moreover successful nan smaller location airports.

Europe’s skies were erstwhile again crowded this July. The merchandise of ACI EUROPE’s preliminary aerial postulation study for July 2025 paints a vivid image of really airports crossed nan continent are performing successful nan precocious season. More than 470 airports contributed to nan dataset, giving a broad overview of wherever travelers are heading, which markets are thriving, and wherever maturation is stalling.

The topline finding: rider postulation accrued by +3.1% compared pinch July 2024. That lifted wide volumes to +5% supra pre-pandemic July 2019 levels, confirming that nan agelong roadworthy to betterment is complete. Yet, ACI EUROPE warns that July’s description ranks among nan weakest for this period erstwhile measured against nan decade anterior to COVID-19.

This dual reality — recovery achieved, but momentum modest — defines nan authorities of European aviation successful 2025.

International drives nan recovery

The clearest disagreement is betwixt world and home demand.

• International rider postulation jumped +3.7% and carried nan full weight of nan month’s growth.
• Domestic postulation edged up conscionable +0.7%, fundamentally flat, reflecting constricted web description and beardown title from crushed transport.

International flights stay nan backbone of Europe’s aerial system. Leisure travelers proceed to flock to Mediterranean destinations, diaspora postulation sustains flows betwixt Central/Eastern Europe and Western Europe, and world hubs for illustration Istanbul and Paris stay magnets for long-haul connections. By contrast, home request has plateaued, constrained by obstruction title successful France, Germany, Spain, and Italy, and by airlines prioritizing cross-border routes that present stronger yields.

EU+ vs. nan remainder of Europe: a widening gap

ACI EUROPE’s location segmentation reveals a widening capacity spread betwixt nan EU+ area (the EU, EEA, Switzerland, and nan UK) and nan rest of Europe.

EU+ area: dependable but uneven

Airports successful nan EU+ bloc posted +2.8% growth, conscionable awkward of nan continental average. Beneath this aggregate, however, lies a patchwork of highs and lows:

• Poland (+13.9%): Benefiting from LCC description and LOT Polish Airlines’ strengthening hub strategy, Poland has go a location powerhouse.
• Slovenia (+12.2%): The revival of Ljubljana Airport, coupled pinch a resurgence successful inbound tourism, helped substance growth.
• Cyprus (+10.1%) and Monaco (+10.3%): Both leveraged their reputations arsenic leisure hotspots.
• Lagging performers: Latvia (-6.1%), Estonia (-6.0%), Iceland (-2.9%), and Austria (-0.5%) each slipped into antagonistic territory. Geopolitical proximity, reduced connectivity, and economical constraints played a role.

Europe’s largest markets underperformed:

• Spain (+2.7%)
• Germany (+2.3%)
• Italy (+1.2%)
• France (+1.2%)
• UK (+1.1%)

In different words, large is stable, but not spectacular.

Rest of Europe: move but volatile

Outside nan EU+, airports recorded +4.7% growth, outperforming nan bloc. Yet here, nan swings were moreover sharper:

• Moldova (+45%): A melodramatic surge acknowledgment to guidelines effects, restored connectivity, and beardown diaspora travel.
• Georgia (+12.1%) and Kazakhstan (+11.2%): New routes and expanded long-haul connections boosted both.
• Russia (-15.1%): Continued world isolation slashed volumes.
• Israel (-5.6%), Azerbaijan (-5.2%), Uzbekistan (-1.3%): Ongoing location tensions weighed heavily.

The message: extracurricular nan EU, smaller and emerging markets tin present exceptional growth, but governmental realities formed a agelong shadow.

Airport segments: really large and mini players compare

ACI EUROPE groups airports by yearly rider volumes, giving further granularity.

Major airports (over 40mppa)

• Overall growth: +2.7%.
• Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (+14.9%) topped nan charts, proving nan spot of Turkey’s aviation strategy.
• Munich (+5.9%) rebounded strongly, aided by Lufthansa’s web recovery.
• Istanbul IST (+4.5%) maintained its position arsenic a world megahub.

The convention array of busiest airports held steady:

• London Heathrow (flat, 0% growth)
• Istanbul IST
• Paris Charles de Gaulle (+2.6%)
• Amsterdam Schiphol (+4%)
• Madrid (+0.6%)

Mega airports (25–40mppa)

Passenger volumes roseate +2.7%, led by:

• Milan Malpensa (+7.5%)
• Dublin (+6.9%)
• Paris Orly (+5.5%)

These hubs leaned connected beardown leisure flows and resilient transatlantic connections.

Large airports (10–25mppa)

• Overall growth: +2.9%.
• Krakow (+18.9%) and Warsaw (+12.5%) underlined Poland’s dominance.
• Izmir (+11.2%) benefited from Turkey’s booming summertime tourism.

Medium airports (1–10mppa)

• Growth: +3.9%.
• Highlights included Chisinau (+45%), Bournemouth (+31.9%), and Trieste (+22.3%).

Here, low-cost description and niche destinations generated outsized returns.

Small airports (<1mppa)

• Growth: +4.0%, nan champion of immoderate segment.
• Standout cases:
  • Kiruna (+166.4%)
  • Karlstad (+147.7%)
  • Bucharest (smaller airports, +134.5%)
  • Syros Island (+125.5%)

But contempt triple-digit surges, mini airports stay -22.4% beneath 2019 levels, highlighting their vulnerable position.

Deep-dive storylines

Amsterdam Schiphol’s quiet comeback

Schiphol’s +4% July growth whitethorn not look headline-grabbing, but it carries symbolic weight. After years of biology disputes, slot restrictions, and operational strains, nan Dutch hub has shown it tin grow modestly without chaos. For travelers, Schiphol’s dependable climb intends greater reliability, moreover if capacity caps stay successful place.

Istanbul’s double motor of growth

Turkey’s aviation strategy is unsocial successful Europe: 2 elephantine airports successful nan aforesaid city, some thriving.

• IST anchors world long-haul flows.
• SAW has carved a niche arsenic a low-cost hub, pinch astir +15% maturation this July.

Together, they show really a metropolis tin service different traveler demographics while reinforcing nationalist connectivity goals.

Poland: Europe’s rising star

Few countries person transformed their aerial marketplace for illustration Poland. With +13.9% nationalist growth, double-digit airdrome increases successful Krakow and Warsaw, and continued description from LOT Polish Airlines, Poland has emerged arsenic a cardinal aviation subordinate successful Central Europe. For nan diaspora successful Western Europe, Poland’s connectivity is essential. For tourists, its affordability and taste propulsion support postulation flowing.

Moldova’s melodramatic leap

At +45%, Chisinau Airport’s emergence is possibly nan astir spectacular statistic successful nan report. After years of turbulence and airspace uncertainty, Moldova has benefitted from pent-up demand, diaspora travel, and selective hose investments. Still, questions stay astir nan sustainability of specified bonzer growth.

Why maturation feels restrained

ACI EUROPE cautions that while numbers look healthy, July 2025 was historically anemic compared to pre-pandemic summers. Why?

• Geopolitics: Eastern Europe, Russia, and nan Middle East stay unpredictable.
• Capacity limits: Heathrow’s flatline shows what happens erstwhile airports deed their beingness aliases governmental caps.
• Economic headwinds: Inflation and cautious user spending still temper demand.
• Environmental pressures: Slot reductions, greenish targets, and modal displacement policies create drag.
• Rail competition: On short-haul home routes, trains progressively siphon disconnected passengers.

Travel maturation successful perspective

The 2025 summertime image is layered and uneven.

• Leisure is king: Mediterranean destinations, from Cyprus to Spain’s islands, stay anchors of growth.
• Diaspora flows matter: Moldova, Georgia, Poland — each heavy influenced by migrant networks — are booming.
• Mature hubs are stable, not spectacular: Heathrow, Madrid, and Frankfurt exemplify nan situation of moving beyond saturation.
• Small airports arsenic wildcards: From Syros Island to Kiruna, mini fields tin present staggering maturation rates, but sustainability remains questionable.

Looking ahead

The July 2025 figures show Europe’s aviation assemblage is not successful crisis, but neither is it roaring. The betterment is fundamentally complete, but sustained maturation now depends connected tackling structural issues: infrastructure bottlenecks, biology obligations, and geopolitical unpredictability.

Amsterdam Schiphol’s re-emergence, Istanbul’s twin-hub success, Poland’s meteoric rise, and Moldova’s improbable leap each show different stories. Together, they shape a tapestry of European aviation successful 2025: vibrant, resilient, but uneven.

The continent is walking again — not pinch nan explosive maturation of nan 2010s, but pinch a steadier hit shaped by today’s realities. The summertime surge has returned, but successful a much complex, fragmented, and geopolitically delicate Europe.