Brussels: European airport trade body ACI EUROPE today released its air traffic report for the month of June, second quarter (Q2) and the first half (H1) of 2026.

Passenger traffic across the European airport network increased by +2.6% in H1 compared with the same period last year.

The pace of growth markedly slowed down in Q2 (+1.3%) versus Q1 (+4.3%), reflecting the impact of the war in the Middle East with much decreased traffic to the Region and some airlines cutting capacity in response to higher jet fuel prices.

As a result and for the first time since the recovery from the Covid‑19 pandemic, domestic passenger traffic (+3%) outperformed international passenger traffic (+2.5%) in H1.

Airports in both the EU+ market¹ (+2.6%) and non-EU+ market² (+2.5%) saw passenger traffic increasing at a similar pace in H1, with the EU market (+3.2%) overperforming.

Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI EUROPE said: “There is no escaping the fact that geopolitics have increasingly been shaping traffic performance this year. Growth has clearly lost momentum, with passenger traffic stalling – or even declining – in a number of national markets as of June. Importantly, this is more a story of supply shocks and pressures rather than weakening demand. Europeans continue to prioritise air travel while North Americans continue to visit our continent in record numbers this summer.”

“Looking ahead, fixing the Schengen Entry/Exit System must be Europe's immediate priority. Long, unpredictable and unacceptable waiting times at border control have started acting as a deterrent to travel – and undermine the standing and reputation of Europe as an efficient and welcoming destination.”

“Beyond that, the evolution of the war in the Middle East – and its operational as well as macro-economic repercussions – will largely determine the trajectory of European air traffic through the remainder of the year. European aviation is definitely operating in a far more volatile environment than in the decade before the pandemic.”

STARK NATIONAL DIVERGENCES WIDE-SPREAD

In the first half of 2026, the best national performances for passenger traffic in the EU+ market came from airports in Slovakia (+101.3%), Malta (+15.6%), and Slovenia (+14.7%) – while airports in Iceland (-7.1%), Cyprus (-4.4%), Austria (-2.6%) posted the weakest results.

Amongst the largest EU+ markets, Italy (+4.2%) and Spain (+3.7%) were the most dynamic. France (+0.6%) and the UK (+0.4%) posted limited gains while Germany (-1.2%) remained negative.

Meanwhile, airports in the non-EU+ market also recorded wide divergences in passenger traffic performance - reflecting both varying exposure to geopolitics across national markets and stronger underlying demand growth in less mature aviation markets.

This resulted in airports in North Macedonia (+27.9%), Moldova (+21%), Albania (+17.2%), Uzbekistan (+15.7%), Armenia (+11%) and Montenegro (+10.4%) posting impressive results — while those in Israel (-19.2%), Azerbaijan (-3%), Georgia (-2.5%) and Kosovo (-1.5%) experienced decreases. The dynamic for airports in the major market of Türkiye (+2.8%) remained positive.  

AIRPORT MARKET SEGMENTS

Major airports (over 40 million passengers) grew at the slowest pace in H1 with their passenger volumes increasing by just +0.8% over the same period last year:

• London Heathrow remained the busiest European airport, welcoming a record 40 million passengers – a +0.2% increase over the H1 2025. The British hub kept being closely followed by Istanbul (39.84 million passengers | +1.6%).
• Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (+6.4%) and two Spanish hubs Barcelona (+4.4%) and Madrid (+4.2%) stood out in terms of dynamic increases.

• London-Gatwick (-5.2%), Munich (-4.2%) and Frankfurt (-0.8%) underperformed while Amsterdam-Schiphol (-0.3%), Paris-CDG (-0.2%) and Rome-Fiumicino (+0.3%) were essentially flat.
  
  

Mega airports (25-40 million passengers) saw passenger volumes increasing by +1.9%, with the best performances coming from Copenhagen (+6.8%), Malaga (+6.7%) and Dublin (+5.9%).

Large airports (10-25 million passengers) and Medium airports (1-10 million passengers) grew at +3.9% and +3.7% respectively, largely driven by selective Low Cost Carrier expansion and the resilience of leisure and VFR³ demand:

• The top five Large airports all achieved double-digit growth: Tirana (+17.2%), Tashkent (+16.9%), Malta (+15.6%), Kraków (+15.1%) and Milan-Linate (+10.3%).
• Meanwhile, Bratislava (+122.7%), Skopje (+28.6%), Trapani (+28.3%), Varna (+21.2%) and Chișinău (+21%) were amongst the fastest growing Medium airports.

Small airports (less than 1 million passengers) were the fastest growing segment year-on-year, with their passenger traffic increasing by +8.6%. However, these airports remain the only ones not having recovered their pre-pandemic (H1) passenger levels (-33.2%).

FREIGHT AND AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS

Freight traffic across the European airport network remained stable year-on-year in H1 at +0.7%. When compared to pre-pandemic (H1 2019) volumes, freight volumes stood at +11.2%.

Amongst the top 10 European airports for freight traffic, the best results compared to last year came from Leipzig (+12.7%), Istanbul (+10.8%) and Amsterdam (+10%). Paris-CDG registered the steepest decrease in freight shifted year-on-year (-30.7%).

Aircraft movements in H1 increased by +1% compared to the same period last year and remained at -1.5% below pre-pandemic (H1 2019) levels.

DATA BY AIRPORT GROUPS

In H1 2026, airports welcoming more than 40 million passengers (Majors), airports welcoming between 25 and 40 million passengers (Mega), airports welcoming between 10 and 25 million passengers (Large), airports welcoming between 1 and 10 million passengers (Medium) and airports welcoming less than 1 million passengers (Small) reported -0.8%, -1.9%, +3.9%, +3.7% and +8.6% as compared to H1 2025.

The airports that reported the most dynamic growth in passenger traffic versus H1 2025 are as follows:

• Majors: Istanbul SAW (+6.4%), Barcelona BCN (+4.4%), Madrid MAD (+4.2%), Istanbul IST (+1.6%), Rome FCO (+0.3%).
• Mega airports: Copenhagen CPH (+6.8%), Malaga AGP (+6.7%), Dublin DUB (+5.9%), Zurich ZRH (+5.6%), Athens ATH (+4.5%).
• Large airports: Tirana TIA (+17.2%), Tashkent TAS (+16.9%), Malta MLA (+15.6%), Krakow KRK (+15.1%), Milan LIN (+10.3%).
• Medium airports: Bratislava BTS (+122.7%), Skopje SKP (+28.6%), Trapani TPS (+28.3%), Varna VAR (+21.2%), Chișinău RMO (+21.0%).
• Small airports: Stockholm BMA (+518.8%), Bucharest BBU (+286.3%), Logroño–Agoncillo RJL (+69.6%), Beja BYJ (+55.5%), Växjö-Kronoberg VXO (+47.9%).

___________________

¹  EU, EEA, Switzerland and the UK.

² Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

³  Visiting Friends and Relatives.