Heathrow overtaken by Istanbul as Europe’s busiest airportHeathrow has urged the government to approve its expansion plansHeathrow said the case for expansion has “never been clearer” after it was overtaken by Istanbul as Europe’s busiest airport. The West London transport hub has long been Europe’s busiest travel destination, and is currently locked in a dispute with the regulator over its plans for a third runway. “The case for expansion has never been clearer, as Heathrow was overtaken in July by Istanbul airport as the busiest hub in Europe,” the airport said on Tuesday. The UK’s largest airport had been the busiest in Europe since 1996, before losing the title during the covid-19 lockdowns in 2020. The airport marked its busiest day of 2026 on the 19th July as 267,000 passengers flew through the airport.