According to a recent analysis by the aviation data company Cirium, London Heathrow has reclaimed its title as the busiest airport in Europe. This ranking is determined by the critical measure of available seat kilometres (ASKs). This metric considers not only the total number of seats departing from the airport but also the entire distance that those seats will travel. This lends even more weight to the importance of Heathrow to long-distance markets. According to the data presented in the following table, Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport came in second position among Europe’s airports in terms of ASKs; nonetheless, the gap between it and Heathrow Airport was rather large.
To further emphasise Istanbul’s prominence, Turkey, a country that straddles both Europe and Asia, was also included. Even its secondary airport, Gokcen, is a part of this package. Antalya, a coastal resort town in Turkey, also makes the list of the top 25 destinations. The size of Moscow compared to other cities in Russia was made clear when Russia’s two major airports fell significantly in the rankings.
Even though it has a smaller capacity than other European airports, Heathrow has consistently led the pack in terms of ASKs for decades. However, when measured in ASKs, the airport in 2022 was 24 per cent smaller than it had been in 2019. On the other hand, Istanbul’s principal airport saw a 2% increase in passenger traffic.
