AviationNews – European air traffic has officially surpassed its pre-pandemic peak, with Eurocontrol reporting a record-breaking 11.12 million flights conducted throughout 2025. This achievement marks the definitive end of the recovery era, as the industry finally moves beyond the benchmark set in 2019.
According to the latest data released in early January 2026, the total number of flights across the Eurocontrol area grew by 4% compared to 2024. The 11.12 million flights handled in the past year exceed the previous record by approximately 16,800 operations. This resurgence was led by major carriers like Ryanair and Turkish Airlines, with hubs such as Istanbul Airport and Amsterdam seeing some of the highest daily traffic volumes in the region.
The network managed an average of over 30,000 daily flights, demonstrating high resilience despite the continued unavailability of large portions of Eastern European airspace. Notably, arrival punctuality increased to 76.1%, representing a 3.5 percentage point improvement over the previous year. Additionally, air traffic flow management delays per flight dropped by 17% due to enhanced coordination among stakeholders and fewer weather-related disruptions.
“2025 was a year of solid traffic growth in the European aviation network,” a Eurocontrol spokesperson noted. “It was a year characterized by strong cooperation between the Network Manager and all operational stakeholders, allowing us to handle record volumes with improved efficiency.”
Looking ahead, the outlook remains positive with forecasts predicting further growth of 3.1% in 2026, potentially reaching 11.4 million flights. This expansion will require continued investment in air traffic management technology to handle increasing density while meeting stringent environmental targets.
The European aviation sector has effectively closed the chapter on its pandemic-era struggles by handling more traffic in 2025 than ever before. With record-high flight numbers and improving operational performance, the industry is now focused on scaling capacity sustainably for the decade ahead.