Heathrow Loses European Airport Crown in Pandemic Year
- Istanbul, Paris Charles de Gaulle both leapfrog London hub
- Busiest bases would have ranked outside top 30 in 2019
A traveler arrives at London Heathrow Airport.
Photographer: Simon Dawson/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
London Heathrow lost its top spot among European airports last year as travel curbs tied to the coronavirus pandemic kept passengers away.
Heathrow’s 73% drop left it trailing both Istanbul’s new hub, which attracted 23.4 million travelers in its first full calendar year of operation, and Paris Charles de Gaulle, which retained the No. 2 spot.