Bratislava Airport surpasses 1 million passengers handled
Since the beginning of the year, M. R. Štefánik Airport has handled over 1,000,000 passengers on arrivals and departures. The airport managed to surpass the one-million mark of passengers handled in 2025 earlier than last year – thanks in part to monthly historical records in passenger numbers in both May and June.
"While two years ago we reached the millionth passenger only on August 3rd, and last year on July 25th, this year we hit that number already on July 10th. This suggests that the number of passengers will be higher this year than in previous years, and for the first time since before the pandemic – since 2019 – we could again reach the round figure of two million passengers handled in a year," estimated Dušan Novota, CEO and Chairman of the Board of M. R. Štefánik Airport.
The round number of two million passengers has so far been exceeded at the airport only four times in its entire history – in 2007, 2008, 2018, and 2019.
The millionth passenger, a 28-year-old woman named Marieta from Hviezdoslavov, who was flying with her partner from Bratislava to Cyprus, was welcomed at the airport by the CEO, who presented her with commemorative gifts.
HISTORICAL RECORD IN JUNE
As in May this year, June 2025 also saw the highest number of passengers ever handled in that month since the founding of the airport.
"In June, we once again achieved a monthly record for June! The highest number of passengers for any June since 1951 was recorded. Last year’s June record was exceeded by more than 35,000 passengers," confirmed the airport CEO Dušan Novota, adding that the total number of departing and arriving passengers in June reached 281,477, representing a 14% increase compared to June 2024.
"New regular air routes contributed to this record growth – seven of them were launched since the beginning of the year, namely to Gdansk, Milan-Malpensa, Bari, Skiathos, Zadar, Tel Aviv, and Copenhagen. Also, the existing regular flights and increasing number of charter flights through travel agencies – for example, to Turkey and Egypt – played a role," he added.
Air cargo also saw a significant increase in June – up by 77% compared to the same month last year, with a total of 1,482 tons transported. In total, the airport handled 3,424 flights during June, which is a 4% increase in takeoffs and landings compared to the same period last year.
The most popular destinations from Bratislava in June were Antalya, Hurghada, London, Larnaca, and Alghero.
AIRPORT PERFORMANCE IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2025
In the first half of 2025, M. R. Štefánik Airport handled a total of 875,189 passengers, which is a 19% increase compared to January–June 2024. During this period, there were 12,899 flights, up 3% from the previous year.
Cargo transport continued to grow in the first half of the year as well – 9,161 tons of air cargo were handled, representing a 68% increase compared to last year.
The top destinations in the first half of the year were London, Antalya, Hurghada, Manchester, and Malta.
BRATISLAVA AIRPORT RECORDING THE HIGHEST GROWTH AMONG EU AIRPORTS
According to ACI EUROPE (Airport Council International), Slovakia is currently the fastest-growing country in terms of passenger numbers at airports across Europe. In May, Slovakia saw a 33% increase in passengers, while the average monthly growth at EU airports was only 2.9%.
M. R. Štefánik Airport alone recorded an even higher growth of 34% in May and ranked among the top 5 fastest-growing mid-sized airports in Europe.