Turkey, Russia Dominate European Airport Rankings After Pandemic

(Bloomberg) -- Airports in Turkey and Russia have climbed up the European rankings after suffering a less severe hit from the coronavirus pandemic than busy terminals to the west.

Istanbul International Airport attracted more than 37 million passengers in 2021, keeping it in the top spot for a second year, while Moscow Sheremetyevo rose three more steps to second, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Secondary hubs in both cities also featured in the top 10, while London Heathrow, Europe’s dominant airport prior to the pandemic, tumbled to ninth. Its passenger tally slumped further last year with vital North Atlantic routes largely in lockdown.

Terminals in Turkey and Russia have been buoyed by their large domestic travel markets, which have continued largely unhindered through the Covid crisis. Russians were also able to visit overseas holiday destinations earlier than in Western Europe, while Turkey reopened for tourism in June. 

Still, there were signs of the old order returning, with traffic edging higher from the 2020 lows at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt and Amsterdam.

What’s more, Heathrow appears set to retake the top spot through the summer based on planned seat capacity, according to analysis from CAPA Centre for Aviation. CAPA predicts that Istanbul International will to drop to second place, followed by Frankfurt and Paris-CDG.

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.