Heathrow has lost its position as Europe's busiest airport to Istanbul, new figures show. The west London airport said 7.86m passengers passed through its four terminals in July, whereas Istanbul Airport in Turkey's largest city recorded 8.15m passengers. Annual figures from trade body Airports Council International show Heathrow was Europe's busiest airport from 1996 to 2019. It lost that title in 2020 amid coronavirus travel restrictions before regaining it in 2023, holding it ever since. Heathrow continues to operate its two runways at near-full capacity and is seeking government permission to build a third.