Air passenger transport - data by month

Data extracted on 26 June 2025.

Planned article update: 15 October 2025.

Highlights

In 2024, there were almost 1.1 billion air passengers carried in the EU, an 8.7% increase compared with 2023.

In 2024, air passenger transport increased in all EU Member States compared to 2023.

This article describes the recent monthly development of commercial air flights and passenger transport by air in the European Union (EU), as well as in the EFTA countries Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and in the Candidate countries Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye. A distinction is made between national (domestic), intra and extra-EU transport, while looking at the evolution of airport traffic.

Recovery in the number of commercial flights continued in every month of 2023

To prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, since the beginning of 2020, countries around the world took a variety of restrictive travel measures that severely hit the air travel industry. Starting from the second half of 2021, restrictive measures were gradually removed, encouraging people to travel by air again and thus impacting commercial air traffic.

In 2024, there were visible signs of recovery that were repeated in each month of 2024, where small decreases were registered in the total number of commercial flights (passengers, freight and mail) in the EU compared with the same month in 2019 (Figure 1). The largest decreases compared with the same months of 2019 were recorded in January (-13.5%), February (-9.0%), and March (-9.2%). Starting from May 2024, decrease below 5% were registered for all months, except in November (-6.0%). The lowest decreased was observed in August 2024, by 3.5% compared with the same month in 2019.

Figure 1: Commercial air flights, EU, 2024
(% change compared to the same month in 2019)
Source: European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) (avia_tf_cm)

In 2024, almost 1.1 billion air passengers were carried at EU level, an 8.7% increase compared to 2023

Starting from February 2023 during which 55.3 million passengers were carried, the number of passengers has been increasing subsequently during the following five months (Figure 2). The highest growths were observed between February and March (+19.3%) and from March to April (+18.9%). Between April and July, stable increases around 10% were registered each month. Passenger traffic reached a peak in August 2023 with 106 million passengers carried, before three consecutive decreases between August and September (-8.1%), September and October (-6.4%), as well as October and November (-27.5%). In the first half of 2024, the biggest increase registered in 2024 was observed between February and March 2024 (+18.2%), following a decrease in January (-8.8%) and a small increase in February (+1.1%). Substantial growths were recorded until July 2024. A more moderate rise was observed in August (+1.1%), before three consecutive decreases; the highest being recorded between October and November (-26.4%).

In 2024, almost 1.1 billion passengers were carried at EU level, an 8.7% increase compared to 2023. International extra-EU transport represented 49.3% of all passengers carried at EU level in 2024, while international intra-EU and national transport shares were 36.3% and 14.3%, respectively. Compared to 2023, significant increases were observed for intra-EU transport, by 9.9%, followed by extra-EU transport (+9.4 %) and national transport (+3.7 %).

Figure 2: Air passengers transport, EU, January 2023-December 2024
(million passengers carried)
Source: Eurostat (avia_paoc)

Figure 3 shows that an increase in passenger transport was registered for every month of 2023 and 2024 compared with the same month of the previous year. January, February and March 2023 registered large increases compared with the same month of 2022. The growth continued in every month of 2024, with the largest increase in February (+13.7%). Since July 2024, the increase was stable, around 7-8% for each month.

Figure 3: Air passengers transport, EU, January 2023-December 2024
(% change compared to the same period of the previous year)
Source: Eurostat (avia_paoc)

All EU countries continued to register increasing numbers of air passenger transport in 2024 compared with 2023

The number of passengers carried by air increased in all EU countries in 2024 compared with 2023. The largest increases was recorded for Hungary (+19.2%), ahead of Czechia (+18.9%) and Estonia (+17.8%). Nine additional EU countries recorded an increase of 10% or more: Croatia, Portugal, Malta Slovenia, Poland, Italy, Greece, Slovakia and Spain. Eleven EU countries recorded an increase between 5% and 10%: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Romania and Finland. The smallest increase was recorded for the Sweden (+1.3%), followed by Bulgaria (+3.8%), Ireland (+4.5%) and France (+4.6%). All of this confirms that air passenger transport is on a good recovery path from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Table 1: Air passengers transport, January 2023-December 2024
(thousand passengers carried)
Source: Eurostat (avia_paoc)

All top 30 EU airports showed signs of recovery in 2024

Table 2 presents the evolution of air passenger transport in the top 30 EU airports. The ranking of the airports was established based on the total annual passengers carried in 2024. Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, maintained first position in the ranking for the entire period from January 2023 to December 2024.

All of the top 30 airports registered an increase in 2024 compared with 2023. The largest increase was recorded for Lisboa (+22.0%), followed by Roma/Fiumicino (+20.8%), Budapest/Liszt Ferenc International (+19.9%), Athinai/Eleftherios Venizelos (+19.2%) and Praha/Ruzyne (+18.2%). Nine additional airports recorded an increase of more than 10%. The lowest increases were for Paris-Orly (+2.6%) and Frankfurt/Main (+3.7%).

Table 2: Top 30 EU airports, January 2023 - December 2024
(thousand passengers carried)
Source: Eurostat (avia_paoa)

Source data for tables and graphs

Air passenger transport statistics

Data sources

Definition of 'passengers carried'

All passengers on a particular flight are counted once only and not repeatedly on each individual stage of that flight. This excludes direct transit passengers.

Exclusion of double counting

The national transport (included in total transport at country level) and intra-EU transport aggregates (included in total transport at EU level) were calculated by taking into account only departure declarations so as to exclude double counting.

Context

The content of this statistical article is based on data collected within the framework of the air transport statistics Regulation (EC) No 437/2003 on statistical returns in respect of the carriage of passengers, freight and mail by air.

Explore further

Database

Transport, see detailed datasets:

Air transport (avia)

Air transport measurement - passengers (avia_pa)

Air transport measurement - freight and mail (avia_go)

Thematic section

Transport

Publications

Selected datasets

Transport, see selected datasets:

Air transport (t_avia)

Air transport of passengers (ttr00012)

Air transport of goods (ttr00011)

Methodology

Passenger and freight transport by air/Traffic data/Air transport at regional level (ESMS metadata file — avia_pa_esms)
Reference Manual on Air Transport Statistics - Version 17 (Methodological manual)
Glossary for transport statistics - 5th edition - 2019

External links

Legislation

The basic legal act was amended by: