European airports report passenger traffic slowdown as Middle East conflict and market pressures impact growth

Passenger traffic across Europe’s airport network declined by 0.7 per cent in April 2026 compared with the same month last year, according to the latest traffic report released by ACI EUROPE.

The result marks the first year-on-year decline in European passenger traffic since the aviation sector began recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2021.

European airport traffic declines for first time since recovery

ACI EUROPE said the downturn reflected a combination of factors, including the continuing conflict in the Middle East, the timing of Easter travel and industrial action affecting parts of the European aviation market.

While passenger traffic across the non-EU+ market contracted by 7.6 per cent, airports within the EU+ market continued to grow, recording an increase of 0.6 per cent. Airports within the European Union alone achieved growth of 1.4 per cent.

The strongest passenger growth among major EU+ markets was recorded in Spain, where traffic increased by 3.7 per cent, followed by Italy with growth of 2.2 per cent. In contrast, Germany recorded a decline of 8.5 per cent, while the United Kingdom and France experienced decreases of 2.1 per cent and 0.9 per cent respectively.

Among smaller EU+ markets, Slovakia achieved the highest growth at 125.2 per cent, followed by Slovenia, Malta, Estonia and Poland.

Outside the EU+ market, airports in Israel experienced the largest decline, with passenger traffic falling by 73.4 per cent. Airports in Türkiye, Georgia and Azerbaijan also recorded significant reductions linked to their exposure to traffic flows connected with the Middle East.

ACI EUROPE Director General Olivier Jankovec said April represented an important turning point for European air traffic, with geopolitical instability increasingly influencing market performance despite continued passenger demand.

Spanish and Dutch hubs outperform larger competitors

Among Europe’s largest airports, growth was concentrated at a small number of major hubs. Barcelona Airport (BCN) recorded passenger growth of 4.1 per cent, followed by Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) at 3.3 per cent and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) at 2.7 per cent.

Meanwhile, industrial action contributed to significant declines at Munich Airport (MUC) and Frankfurt Airport (FRA), where passenger traffic fell by 16.4 per cent and 11 per cent respectively.

Medium-sized and smaller airports generally outperformed larger hubs, benefiting from stronger intra-European demand and continued low-cost carrier capacity. However, airports handling fewer than one million passengers annually remained 27.7 per cent below their 2019 traffic levels.

Freight traffic across Europe declined by 5.3 per cent during April, while aircraft movements fell by 0.8 per cent.

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