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European Airport Index 2024
Introduction
This is the year airports leave behind the dreary legacy of COVID-19. According to the European branch of Airport Council International’s estimates, passenger traffic in 2024 will finally surpass 2019 levels by as much as 3.4%. Some airports have adapted quicker to the return of growth. Top contenders from past rankings retain their pole positions: Zurich comes first, with Brussels in the third spot. Copenhagen climbs from fourth to second place. Dusseldorf sees a strong rebound, from 16th in the previous years to 6th place now, and Malaga a jump from 19th to 7th. Frankfurt slightly drops from number three to number five. At the other end of the spectrum, London Stansted, Antalya, Madrid-Barajas, and Mallorca are stuck in their previous positions, not having expanded to accommodate higher passenger volumes.
About the research
We ranked Europe’s thirty busiest airports measured by passenger volume to prevent negative consumer experiences and help travelers pick the best hub for their next trip. We used several factors ranging from location and transportation options to the availability of services (restaurants, lounges, shops), security waiting times, and the average proportion of flight delays. With this information, consumers can quickly and reliably identify the airport of their choice.
Our fourth annual edition of the European Consumer Airport Index refines and updates our analysis using data provided to us by airports, annual reports, online statistics, and our own research. Passenger volumes reflect the years 2021-2023. We consolidated the distance category into one measurement by car and one value for absolute distance in a straight line. Both now count towards the final score for each airport. We added compound annual growth rate percentages to track the growing influx of European passengers better. The figure also allows us to measure the impact of changing policies in concrete numbers for future indices.
Results
The dramatic increase in passenger volumes has had a mixed effect on scores. On the other hand, a fifth of the total results have either stayed the same or declined, as the influx of extra passengers drove points for flyers per shops and restaurants, lounges, and jet bridges down. Moreover, average delays continued to rise for poor performers. For instance, London Stansted hit an average of 57% in 2024, 11% higher than in 2023.
In positive news, four-fifths of contenders saw their tallies rise. The best performers have significantly reduced airport security waiting times and average delays. Zurich had an average security waiting time of 12 minutes in 2023, but it only registered a 1-minute waiting time in 2024 (when the data was retrieved on July 1, 2024). That most airports have managed to weather the storm is a testament to the sector’s competitiveness. Future airport travel policies should encourage this adaptive competitive capacity via regulatory streamlining and clear general rules.
Benefits for Consumers
There are several benefits to choosing one of the top five arrival or departure points, such as more flight options, destinations, and airlines, less hassle getting to and from the airport, more restaurants, lounges, and shops, less congestion on aircraft bridges, more accessible connections to terminals, and less downtime due to delays and security checks.
- The top 5 (and top 10) selections offer the best experience all around
- Northern and Central venues overwhelmingly provide more convenient connections compared to Southern and Eastern hubs
- Bigger is not necessarily better, especially when it results in worse infrastructure, fewer flight connections, crowded airports, and long security lines
- Though we have generally seen improvements in scores, no single hub earned maximum points, meaning there is always room for improvement
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Authors
Emil Panzaru
Research Manager
Name
Policy Fellow
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