European airport capacity rankings: Both Istanbul and Sabiha Gökçen in top 10

The COVID-19 pandemic shattered the stability of Europe’s rankings of leading airports by seat capacity.

It even sent the pre-pandemic leader, London Heathrow, tumbling out of the top six – the top of a group whose status always seemed assured by virtue of being the continent’s major hub airports (Heathrow, Paris CDG, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Amsterdam and Madrid). The crisis led Istanbul to the top of the list as Europe’s biggest airport by seats, whereas Barcelona, Rome Fiumicino, Munich and Madrid crashed out of the top 10 altogether.