London Heathrow Airport (LHR) loses the crown of European airport in the pandemic year

Photographer: Simon Dawson / Bloomberg

London Heathrow lost its first place among European airports last year as travel sidewalks linked to the coronavirus pandemic kept passengers away.

Heathrow’s 73% drop left it behind the new Istanbul center, which attracted 23.4 million passengers in its first full calendar year of operation, and Paris’s Charles de Gaulle, which maintained its place number 2.

All airports in Europe have suffered, with 23 million passengers equivalent to a rank out of the top 30 in any normal year.

A push to replace country-specific entry sidewalks with pre-flight tests has unraveled with the rise of the virus’s most infectious strains. Britain’s quarantine policy and a changing list of exempt countries have also discouraged travel to London. Last week, the government tightened even further, stopping flights from South America and extending personal isolation to all arrivals.

While most Western European airports (from Frankfurt to Amsterdam and Barcelona) saw traffic sink 70% or more last year, the two largest centers in Istanbul and Moscow Sheremetyevo they recorded smaller decreases, thus increasing in the ranks. Traffic at Moscow’s two smaller airports has not yet been reported.

The new national limitations mean that travel will remain difficult for some time. Italy extended its state of emergency in April, while the closure of Austria would be extended in February, with Germany ready to follow the same.

From Monday, travelers coming to France from outside the European Union will have to test before boarding, agree to self-isolate for a week on arrival and then take another test.

– With the assistance of Tugce Ozsoy and Tara Patel

(Add Paris CDG to the second paragraph)