Airport activity in Europe dwindles, with minimal airflow compared to the usual brisk pace.
European Air Traffic Shows Mixed Results in Q1 2025
Passenger traffic at European airports saw a modest increase of 4.3% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in the previous year, according to data released recently. However, the growth rate has slowed down significantly compared to the previous months, with a 3.4% increase in February and 3.0% in March.
Outside the EU, passenger traffic increased by a robust 5.7% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. This growth was primarily driven by international flights, which saw a significant increase of 5.7%, while domestic traffic remained stagnant.
Within the EU+, passenger traffic increased by 4.1%. The airports in Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Malta, and Lithuania showed the highest growth, while Iceland, Sweden, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the UK showed marginal growth or a decrease.
Rome-Fiumicino (+9.4%) and Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen (+9.0%) were the leading airports in growth among major hubs. Notable growth was also observed in smaller airports with fewer than one million passengers, which increased their passenger traffic by 13.4%, albeit still 34.5% below their pre-pandemic volume.
Among airports with passenger traffic between ten and 25 million, Tel Aviv (+60.4%), Krakow (+21.9%), Budapest (+15.5%), Alicante (+14.6%), and Valencia (+14.3%) were at the top. On the other hand, London-Heathrow (-1.5%) was affected by a major power outage in March, impacting passenger numbers.
Airports in Israel (+60.4%), Moldova (+56%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (+41.7%), Kosovo (+15.6%), Uzbekistan (+15.5%), Albania (+9.1%), and Georgia (+8.5%) showed significant growth.
However, Olivier Jankovec, the general director of ACI Europe, expressed caution about the sustained growth in passenger traffic. He voiced concerns about the potential impact of macroeconomic uncertainty due to the Trump administration's actions on the global multilateral trading system.
Astrid Raben, a journalist who has covered airlines, airports, and travel stories for over 20 years, has authored several books related to aviation and travel. According to her, European countries with the highest passenger growth at airports in the first three months of 2025 included Spain, Germany, and France.
Despite the overall growth, it's important to note that compared to pre-pandemic levels (first quarter of 2019), international passenger traffic was 8.9% higher, while domestic passenger traffic showed a decrease of 12.8%. This indicates that while international trips are recovering, domestic travel is still lagging behind.
In conclusion, while the first quarter of 2025 showed some positive signs for the European air travel industry, there are still challenges ahead, particularly in terms of domestic tickets and the broader economic environment.
