Turkish skies remain among Europe’s busiest, says report

ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s skies remained among Europe’s busiest in early September, with flight volumes far exceeding pre-pandemic benchmarks, according to the latest EUROCONTROL data.

The country handled an average of 4,200 daily flights — including overflights — during the week of Sept. 1–7.

Türkiye ranked sixth among Europe’s top 10 aviation markets by flight volume, ahead of Greece, the Netherlands and Poland.

While this marked a 2 percent decline compared to the previous week, traffic was still 9 percent higher than the same period in 2024 and an impressive 19 percent above 2019 levels.

The weekly drop was attributed mainly to reduced flows between Türkiye and the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Belgium and Greece.

Turkish Airlines maintained its position as one of Europe’s leading carriers, operating an average of 1,772 daily flights — unchanged from the previous week but 13 percent higher year-on-year and 21 percent above 2019.

Istanbul Airport once again held its position as Europe’s busiest hub, recording an average of 1,624 daily flights, including both departures and arrivals. This strong performance not only secured its place at the top of the European rankings but also earned it the fifth spot among the world’s busiest airports. Although the figure was down by 1 percent compared with the previous week, it remained 6 percent higher than in 2024 and an impressive 26 percent above 2019 levels.

Antalya Airport also featured in the continent’s top 10, recording 1,024 daily flights, down 3 percent from the prior week but still 4 percent above 2024 and 13 percent above pre-pandemic levels.