The European air traffic management agency projects that there will be 10.7 million flights this year across the 44 member states of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), marking a 5.1% rise compared to 2023.
The updated traffic forecasts suggest that flight levels will return to pre-Covid 2019 figures by the third quarter of 2025, with 96% of those levels expected to be achieved by the end of this year. Eurocontrol's report, which revises its earlier Spring 2024 predictions, notes that many ECAC countries have already fully resumed their pre-pandemic flight operations.
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| Eurocontrol's latest traffic forecast shows further increases in flights across the airspace of the 44 member states of the European Civil Aviation Conference. |
Looking ahead to next year, Eurocontrol anticipates a further traffic increase of 3.7%, bringing the total to 11.1 million flights. By 2030, overall traffic is projected to reach between 12 and 13 million flights.
For the countries participating in Eurocontrol’s Single European Sky Performance Scheme, the forecast indicates an average annual flight growth of 2.3% from 2025 to 2029.
The report highlights considerable differences in expected traffic among member states and includes a range of forecasts that account for potential uncertainties, such as geopolitical tensions and economic disruptions, that could impact air traffic.