Frankfurt loses Europe’s top cargo hub title to Istanbul: German aviation group

BERLIN

Frankfurt Airport, once Europe’s leading air cargo hub, lost its top ranking to Istanbul Airport last year, according to the German Aviation Association (BDL), which cited rising ground costs and excessive bureaucracy as key reasons behind the decline.

The association said global air cargo volume rose 6 percent in 2024, but Frankfurt’s growth was limited to just 1.2 percent.

In contrast, Istanbul Airport posted a 39.6 percent increase in cargo transport, pushing it ahead of Frankfurt for the first time.

The BDL warned that cargo traffic is shifting toward neighboring countries offering lower operating costs and faster handling processes, making it harder for German hubs such as Frankfurt and Cologne/Bonn to keep up.

In response, the association announced a five-point action plan and called on the federal government to take urgent measures to strengthen Germany’s position as an air transport hub.

The proposals include reducing state-imposed ground costs, speeding up administrative procedures through the digital implementation of EU aviation safety standards, allowing more flexible working hours at air cargo centers, enforcing EU customs rules uniformly across the bloc and simplifying the collection of import VAT.

“Air transport is growing faster globally than at German hubs,” the statement said, projecting Germany’s cargo growth for 2025 to remain at just 1.2 percent.

The association said structural inefficiencies and regulatory delays were eroding Germany’s competitiveness and called for immediate reforms to prevent further market loss to rival airports.

From January to April, 596,300 tons of cargo were handled at Istanbul Airport, pointing to a 9 percent decline from the same period of 2024.

In the same period, freight traffic, including baggage, cargo and mail, amounted to 754,271 tons, down 7 percent from a year ago.

Istanbul Airport was the busiest among airports in Europe during the period from April 21 to April 27, according to data by the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL).

Istanbul Airport ranked first among the busiest airports in Europe with an average of 1,482 daily flights in this period.

The flights in Istanbul Airport increased by 4 percent year-on-year and by 24 percent compared to the same period of 2019.