Heathrow has lost its position as Europe’s busiest airport to Istanbul, new figures show. The airport said 7.86m passengers passed through its four terminals in July, while Istanbul Airport recorded 8.15m passengers over the same period. Annual figures from trade body Airports Council International show Heathrow held the title of Europe’s busiest airport from 1996 to 2019. The airport recorded 84.46 million passengers in 2025, with 19 July its busiest day of the year so far as schools broke up for summer – 267,000 passengers passed through on that day alone. Heathrow said several new airlines began serving the airport last month, pointing to “clear demand for access to Heathrow”.