Germany, Spain, Italy, France And Uk See Modest Passenger Growth While Poland, Slovenia, Romania Drive Eu+ Summer Travel Boom

Published on October 13, 2025

Germany ,Spain, Italy, France and UK posted humble rider maturation successful August 2025, while Poland, Slovenia and Romania led EU+ recreation surge driven by leisure request and low-cost carriers.

Europe’s airports continued to witnesser beardown recreation momentum successful August 2025, arsenic nan latest preliminary study from ACI EUROPE highlights a dependable betterment and maturation crossed nan continent. Passenger postulation accrued by 4.9% compared to nan aforesaid period successful 2024, outperforming nan year‑to‑date mean of 4.3%, reflecting sustained request passim nan highest summertime period. International recreation drove overmuch of this growth, rising by 5.6%, while home recreation precocious much modestly astatine 1.6%. Overall, full rider volumes exceeded pre-pandemic levels by 7% compared to August 2019, underscoring a robust rebound successful aerial travel.

EU+ Airports Show Varied Growth Patterns

Airports wrong nan EU+ region reported maturation beneath nan European average, pinch rider volumes up 4% year-on-year. Performance varied wide crossed nationalist markets. Poland led nan EU+ maturation charts pinch a 15.1% increase, followed by Slovenia astatine 11.7% and Romania astatine 10.3%. In contrast, Latvia (-6.7%), Estonia (-4.5%), and Iceland (-2.5%) recorded declines. The continent’s largest markets, including Germany (+4.2%), Spain (+3.8%), Italy (+2.8%), nan UK (+1.7%), and France (+1%), posted gains beneath nan continental average, reflecting uneven betterment patterns.

Rest of Europe Outpaces Western Markets

Airports successful nan broader European region beyond nan EU+ grew faster, averaging an 8.8% year-on-year increase. However, nan results wrong this subgroup were highly diverse, driven by geopolitical factors and marketplace conditions. Moldova (+46.6%), Israel (+38.1%), and Bosnia & Herzegovina (+20.4%) delivered maturation good supra nan average, while Russia (-13.3%), Azerbaijan (+0.7%), Armenia (+7.2%), Uzbekistan (+7.7%), and Serbia (+7.8%) remained beneath nan location mean.

Major and Mega Airports Lead Traffic Expansion

Among awesome airports serving complete 40 cardinal passengers annually, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen emerged arsenic nan fastest-growing hub, pinch postulation surging 21.5%, followed by Istanbul Airport astatine 6.8%. Both Istanbul Airport and London Heathrow exceeded 8 cardinal passengers successful a azygous month, marking historical milestones. Mega airports, pinch 25–40 cardinal passengers, recorded a 4.2% increase. Milan Malpensa (+10.2%), Copenhagen (+8.6%), and Athens (+6.8%) outperformed peers successful this category.

Large, Medium, and Small Airports Benefit From Leisure and Low-Cost Travel

Passenger volumes astatine ample airports (10–25 million) grew by 6.1%, mean airports (1–10 million) by 5.8%, and mini airports (under 1 million) by 6.2%. Growth was fueled by low-cost carriers and beardown leisure and visiting friends and relatives (VFR) demand. Medium airports moreover surpassed pre-pandemic postulation pinch double-digit growth. In nan ample category, Poland’s airports, Warsaw and Krakow, secured top-five positions successful rider growth. Chisinau led mean airports pinch a singular 46.6% rise. Small airports for illustration Antwerp (+769.4%), Bucharest (+118.6%), and Syros Island (+105.3%) recorded triple-digit growth, though this conception still lags pre-pandemic volumes by 20.1%.

Freight Traffic Slows Despite Passenger Gains

While rider postulation thrived, freight volumes declined 5.8% year-on-year, though they remained 7% supra pre-pandemic levels. Liège (+29%), Madrid (+11.4%), and Milan Malpensa (+6%) reported nan astir robust freight maturation among apical European cargo hubs. Aircraft movements crossed nan continent accrued by 3.3% compared to August 2024, reflecting ongoing operational recovery.

Highlights Across Airport Categories

The study besides identified nan top-performing airports by segment:

• Major airports: Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (+21.5%), Istanbul IST (+6.8%), Barcelona (+4.7%), Munich (+4.7%), Frankfurt (+4.1%)
• Mega airports: Milan Malpensa (+10.2%), Copenhagen (+8.6%), Athens (+6.8%), Zurich (+5.5%), Dublin (+4.1%)
• Large airports: Tel Aviv (+38.1%), Krakow (+19.6%), Izmir (+19.2%), Warsaw (+15.6%), Tirana (+13.5%)
• Medium airports: Chisinau (+46.6%), Bournemouth (+32.1%), Trieste (+27.3%), Gaziantep (+26.1%), Wroclaw (+22.9%)
• Small airports: Antwerp (+769.4%), Bucharest (+118.6%), Syros Island (+105.3%), Córdoba (+71.7%), Kastamonu (+70.5%)

These figures bespeak that while Europe’s aerial recreation betterment remains uneven crossed markets and airdrome sizes, summertime 2025 has reinforced nan continent’s wide resilience, driven by world demand, leisure travel, and low-cost carriers.