# EU commercial aviation recovery

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/eu-commercial-aviation-recovery
> Updated: 2026-08-31T17:01:10.000Z. Sources: 17. Developments: 2.

In 2025, commercial flights in the European Union reached 6.9 million, representing a 3.8% increase from the 6.7 million flights recorded in 2024. This growth indicates a continuous upward trend since 2021, bringing aviation activity near the pre-pandemic level of 7 million flights recorded in 2019.

Scheduled flights accounted for 91.5% of total volume, while non-scheduled services, such as charters, made up 8.5%. Non-scheduled activity peaked during the summer months, with August recording the highest number of operations at 693,046.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport was the busiest hub in the EU with approximately 488,000 operations, followed by Paris Charles de Gaulle with 476,000 and Frankfurt with 457,000. Other major hubs included Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona-El Prat, Munich, Rome Fiumicino, Athens, Copenhagen, and Dublin. Among the top ten airports, Athens Eleftherios Venizelos recorded the highest share of non-scheduled flights.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-31: EU commercial air traffic reaches 6.9 million flights in 2025

EU commercial air traffic rose 3.8% to 6.9 million flights in 2025, returning to near pre-pandemic levels, with Amsterdam-Schiphol leading as the busiest airport.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/eu-commercial-air-traffic-reaches-69-million-flights-in-2025

### 2026-08-28: EU commercial flights reach 6.9 million in 2025 as aviation nears pre-pandemic levels

EU commercial flights rose 3.8% to 6.9 million in 2025, nearing pre-pandemic levels. Amsterdam Schiphol led the EU in flight volume, followed by Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt.

13 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/european-union-commercial-flights-reach-69-million-in-2025

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Cite as: EU commercial aviation recovery. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/eu-commercial-aviation-recovery