Olivier Jankovec

Air traffic is booming this summer, but after European vacations are over will passenger demand hold up?

The question was the focus of the annual congress of the Airports Council International (ACI) Europe in Rome last week, held at the cusp of the approaching peak season.

Arrive early, that's the advice from the European airports chief to passengers faced with disruption this summer as the air travel industry struggles to meet surging demand after the pandemic.

Istanbul Airport served nearly 37 million passengers last year, claiming the top stop in the ranking among all airports in Europe, according to data from the Airports Council International Europe (ACI Europe).

Istanbul Airport became the first to earn ACI reaccreditation for coronavirus health measures, the Airports Council International (ACI) World and ACI EUROPE announced on July 6.

Istanbul Airport was the first to be accredited in August 2020 for 12 months, and now again is the first to be reaccredited for another year.

Europe's airport traffic last year tumbled to 1995 levels, data from a regional industry group showed on Friday, with hubs in Turkey and Russia faring better than those in Western Europe.