The Annual Congress and General Assembly of Aci Europe, the European association that brings together airport managers of over 600 airports in 58 European countries, over 90% of commercial air traffic on the continent, began today in Athens. The event will end on Friday 20 June.

"Aci Europe has today published the 'Airport Connectivity Report 2025': the definitive barometer of air connectivity in Europe. Published ahead of Aci Europe's 35th Annual Congress and General Assembly, the report is based on connectivity indices developed by Seo Amsterdam Economics -the most comprehensive and detailed tool for measuring and ranking airport connectivity-", reports a note from the association today. 

The paper reveals that “despite an increase of +7% compared to the previous year, air connectivity (direct + indirect) in Europe still remains below the pre-pandemic level (2019) of -9%. This is in stark contrast to passenger volumes, which reached a full recovery in 2024 and continued to grow in 2025”, thus highlighting that consumers and communities are faced with fewer and more expensive options. The study clearly highlights how unfavourable policies, structural market changes and geopolitical factors are driving new connectivity patterns, as well as strong performance disparities between national markets and individual airports.

Director General Olivier Jankovec said: "The data we are presenting today is unequivocal: Europe urgently needs a strategic policy rethink that places air connectivity as a central pillar of its agenda for competitiveness, cohesion and strategic autonomy. This means recognising that air connectivity -and with it aviation- is not just a matter of soft power. It generates key economic and social benefits, ensures Europe's global positioning and also helps project hard power capabilities. However, uncoordinated and fragmented aviation policies -including punitive taxation- combined with geopolitical tensions and structural market changes are putting these benefits at risk." "Every 10% increase in direct air connectivity is associated with a 0.5% increase in GDP per capita: it is therefore European citizens who pay the final price. Our policy makers must protect and ensure over time air connectivity, which is an integral part of our European way of life and our global projection," concluded the Dg.

Non-EU+ markets hardest hit by geopolitics, gaps persist between national markets

The EU+ market (-8% vs. 2019) recovered more air connectivity than the rest of Europe, while the non-EU+ market underperformed the European average, at -12%. This was mainly due to the total loss of connectivity of Ukrainian airports, while those in Russia (-43%) and Belarus (-70%) recorded dramatic declines. Israel (-21%) also suffered significant losses due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

In addition to geopolitics, aeronautical policies and structural changes in the market -in particular the growth in demand for leisure travel and for visiting friends and relatives (VFR), together with the expansion of ultra low-cost carriers (LCC)- are also influencing the performance of national markets:

- Within the EU+ market, three countries lead the expansion of air connectivity: Greece (+35%), Portugal (+10%), Cyprus (+8%).

- At the other end of the spectrum, 13 recorded double-digit losses, notably: Sweden (-33%), Finland (-30%), Czech Republic (-22%), Austria and Germany (both -21%), largely reflecting the impact of geopolitics and national taxes on aviation.

- Among the largest EU+ markets, only tourism-dependent Spain surpassed 2019 levels (+3%). The UK (-7%), France (-14%) and Germany lagged far behind, with France's performance set to deteriorate further due to the significant increase in aviation taxes that came into force this year.

In the non-EU+ market, the best performances in terms of air connectivity are recorded in:
Uzbekistan (+73%), Albania (+56%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (+40%), Armenia and Turkey (both +36%).

Istanbul, Amsterdam-Schiphol and London-Heathrow lead the direct connectivity rankings

Istanbul (+13% vs. 2019) remains the first in the European direct connectivity ranking, having risen from 5th place pre-pandemic. The Turkish hub enjoys the best direct connectivity to the Middle East and the second best to Asia-Pacific, as well as a good position for Africa and Europe. Amsterdam-Schiphol (-4%) is in second place, thanks to its excellent European network. This reflects the small size of the domestic market and the need to maintain critical mass to feed long-haul routes. The expected reduction in capacity of the Dutch hub makes it unlikely to maintain this position in the coming years.

London-Heathrow (-2%) is in third place. In addition to offering unrivalled direct connectivity to North America (almost double that of second-placed Paris-"CdG"), the British hub also has the highest direct connectivity to the Middle East in Western Europe. Frankfurt (-11% vs. 2019) has overtaken Paris-"Charles de Gaulle" (-7%) in fourth place, thanks to a significant increase in direct connectivity to Asia-Pacific (+17% vs. 2024). Paris, ranked fifth, stands out for its diverse network, with second place for direct connectivity to Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North America.

In addition to Istanbul, the following airports also recovered or exceeded 2019 direct connectivity levels: Antalya (+29%), Athens (+24%), Istanbul-"Sabiha Gökçen" (+14%), Palma de Mallorca (+11%), Dublin (+8%), Lisbon (+4%), Rome-Fiumicino (+3%) and Barcelona (+1%). This again reflects the predominance of leisure and VFR demand, in addition to the expansion of LCCs. Direct connectivity offered by LCCs increased by +19% from 2019, while that offered by traditional scheduled airlines (FSC) decreased by -15%.

Istanbul now tops global hub rankings

Istanbul has overtaken Frankfurt to become the world's leading airport by hub connectivity in 2025. Istanbul's hub connectivity increased by +59% compared to 2019 -reflecting Turkish Airlines' impressive expansion, its strategic geographic location between Europe, Africa and Asia, capacity availability and a favorable national aviation policy-. The Turkish hub is followed by Dallas Fort Worth (-5%) and Frankfurt, which saw its hub connectivity decrease by -21% compared to 2019.

Overall, hub connectivity in Europe remains below pre-pandemic levels (2019) by -12%, and thus continues to underperform direct connectivity (-5%). Although the gap has narrowed slightly over the last 4 years, this trend has consolidated, reflecting structural changes in the aviation market, in particular the downsizing of FSCs and the expansion of Ultra-LCCs, with more direct international routes bypassing large hubs.

Eight European airports are among the world’s top 20 for hub connectivity, along with eight in North America and four in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. In addition to Istanbul, the largest increases in hub connectivity compared to 2019 are seen at Tokyo Haneda (+51%) and Doha (+43%). In contrast, hub connectivity at all major Western European hubs remains below 2019 levels, reflecting not only the downsizing of locally based carriers, but also unfavorable aviation policies, competitiveness concerns and weak macroeconomic conditions".