Europe’s planes are flying again – and low-cost airlines are the large winners

After years of stop-start recovery, Europe’s skies are finally as busy as they were before Covid. According to recent figures from air traffic monitor Eurocontrol, the variety of flights across Europe in 2025 has returned to 2019 levels for the primary time – and low-cost airlines are cashing in greater than anyone else.

Last 12 months, 11.1 million flights took place across Eurocontrol’s network, which covers not only EU countries but additionally nations corresponding to Turkey, Morocco and Israel. That works out at a mean of 30,474 flights a day, barely above the day by day total recorded in 2019, the last full 12 months before the pandemic brought aviation to a near standstill.

Compared with 2024, traffic increased by 4 per cent, confirming that the recovery isn’t any longer fragile. In fact, Eurocontrol noted that passenger numbers had already surpassed 2019 levels in 2024, helped by fuller aircraft and bigger planes.

Tourism fuels the rebound in southern Europe

While the general figures mark a milestone for European aviation, the recovery has been removed from uniform. Southern Europe has powered ahead, driven by strong tourism demand, while much of the north continues to be struggling to catch up.

Countries corresponding to Greece, Turkey, Spain and Italy at the moment are well above their pre-pandemic traffic levels. Greece recorded a 23 per cent increase in departures and arrivals compared with 2019, Turkey was up 20 per cent, Spain 13 per cent, and Italy 10 per cent.

Eurocontrol said the pattern was clear: destinations popular with holidaymakers have benefited most from the post-Covid travel boom.

The picture looks very different further north. Germany stays 13 per cent below its 2019 flight levels, while the UK and the Netherlands are each still down 4 per cent. France has also yet to completely recuperate, sitting around two points below its pre-pandemic level.

This uneven recovery has weighed on a few of Europe’s traditional airlines. Lufthansa, for instance, operated 24 per cent fewer flights than in 2019, and even saw an additional 2 per cent decline last 12 months.

Budget airlines take the lead

If there may be one clear winner from Europe’s aviation rebound, it’s the low-cost sector. In 2025, budget airlines accounted for 35.4 per cent of all flights, overtaking traditional carriers for the primary time, which held a 34.7 per cent share. The remainder of the market was split between regional airlines, business aviation and cargo flights.

At the highest of the rankings, Ryanair stays Europe’s largest airline by far, a position it has held for 11 consecutive years. The Irish carrier averaged 3,184 flights a day in 2025 – a 37 per cent increase compared with 2019 – giving it greater than 10 per cent of the complete European market.

EasyJet followed with 1,611 day by day flights, although that figure stays barely below its pre-pandemic level. Turkish Airlines got here close behind with 1,559 flights a day, reflecting Turkey’s strong growth as each a tourist destination and a regional aviation hub.

That trend can also be visible at airport level. Istanbul Airport once more ranked as Europe’s busiest, handling a mean of 1,491 day by day flights. It was followed by Amsterdam Schiphol, London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt. Whether the identical order applies to passenger numbers will probably be confirmed when ACI Europe publishes its data.

Despite the heavy traffic, delays have actually fallen. Eurocontrol said air traffic control delays averaged 2.4 minutes per flight, a 17 per cent improvement on the previous 12 months. The agency credited higher coordination and planning, whilst controllers proceed to cope with longer routes attributable to the closure of Russian and Ukrainian airspace.

Looking ahead, Eurocontrol expects traffic to continue to grow in 2026, reaching 11.4 million flights, or 3.2 per cent greater than in 2025. Beyond that, nevertheless, growth is anticipated to slow, with a more modest average increase of 1.8 per cent a 12 months between 2027 and 2031.

For now, though, the message is evident: Europe is flying again – and low-cost airlines are leading the best way.

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