The Côte d’Azur Airports group has revealed it received record traffic in 2025, mostly attributed to a growth in international visitors. The Nice Côte d’Azur Airport received 15.23 million commercial passengers in 2025, representing an increase of 3.2 % compared to the previous year. Update: Nice Côte d’Azur Airport has added 10 new destinations for summer 2026.
As Antibes Juan-les-Pins’ mayor Jean Leonetti noted at a Côte d’Azur Tourism event last week, gone are the days when you mainly heard Italian voices in the avenues and beaches of the French Riviera. Today those voices are mixed with Americans, South Koreans, Scandinavians and so many more from every corner of the planet. The Côte d’Azur is experiencing an increase in tourism, and not only in the summer, but all year around.
International travel led the surge in passengers, increasing by 4.7 %. Regular long-haul traffic also grew by 5.8 %, thanks particularly to the opening of new routes to Washington in the summer of 2025 and Dakar in the winter of 2024/2025. The airport said the strong performance is a testament to the region’s international appeal and economic vitality.
IN BRIEF: Côte d’Azur Airports 2025 Stats:
- The Nice airport welcomed 15.23 million commercial passengers.
- That equates to a 3.2 % increase in commercial passengers compared with 2024.
- Commercial flights are up by 1.9 % to a total of 163,052. (With higher-capacity aircraft being filled with more passengers.)
- International travel increased by 4.7 %.
- Domestic flights were slightly down by 0.3 %.
- Regular long-haul flights increased by 5.8 %.
- Business aviation climbed by 4 % across the group’s Riviera airports (Nice Côte d’Azur, Cannes Mandelieu, and Golfe de Saint-Tropez)
Nice Airport, the gateway to the French Riviera, is also France’s busiest airport outside of Paris. With grand dreams, the Côte d’Azur airports group says it achieved its objectives for 2025 (regarding performance, infrastructure and the environmental policy) and is well on track to reach its long-term goals.
Sustainability World Leader
In fact, the airports group has excelled in its environmental policy, with Nice Airport achieving the highest level of accreditation for decarbonisation efforts five years ahead of its commitment to achieve net zero emissions. It became the first in France to achieve Level 5 Airport Carbon Accreditation, joining just 4 % of airports worldwide committed to this programme to have achieved this level. The accreditation confirms that the airport has cut at least 90 % of emissions and is implementing a roadmap to decarbonise its entire value chain.
The group is also one of only two airports worldwide to win the EcoVadis Gold Medal in 2025. “Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur is thus ranked in the top 5% of the 150,000 companies audited worldwide by EcoVadis and in the top 1% of companies in the same sector,” said the group. The assessment covers the environment, social issues, ethics and responsible purchasing.
Terminal 2 Extension Nears Completion
The airport completed the first phase of its major expansion of Terminal 2 in Spring last year. The features – including a larger passport control, improved non-Schengen departure lounge, a new shop, two new restaurants and a renovated VIP lounge – make for a better airport experience for travellers.
Even the spirit of passengers is being addressed with a “monumental” artwork by local Nice artist César Malfi in a hangar adjacent to the extension. Titled ‘Psyché et l’Amour’ (Psyche and Love), it’s intended to offer travellers an uplifting sense of peace and serenity as they arrive in the beautiful Côte d’Azur.
🇫🇷🎉Votre aéroport vous souhaite une merveilleuse année 2026 ! 🥂✈️ “Psyché et l’Amour” de César Malfi, inspirée de Bouguereau et du bleu azur, bientôt au terminal 2 de l’Aéroport Nice Côte d’Azur. pic.twitter.com/oSVzBJAaDb
— Aéroport de Nice (@AeroportNice) January 1, 2026
The next phase of the extension is expected to finish before the peak season of 2026. This includes six new boarding gates, a new check-in hall and a modern baggage handling facility.
