Eurocontrol has predicted increased traffic growth in European airspace in a revised seven-year forecast released on Tuesday. The European air traffic management agency said that it expects to record 10.7 million flights this year in the 44 member states of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), representing a 5.1% increase from 2023.
The latest traffic projections show overall flight levels returning to pre-Covid 2019 levels during the third quarter of 2025, and to 96% of those levels by the end of this year. Eurocontrol's report, which updated its earlier Spring 2024 forecast, said many ECAC states have already fully returned to pre-pandemic flight activity.
Next year, Eurocontrol expects traffic to grow by a further 3.7% to 11.1 million flights. By 2030, overall traffic levels are expected to reach between 12 and 13 million flights.
For the states involved in Eurocontrol’s Single European Sky Performance Scheme, annual flight growth is set to average 2.3% between 2025 and 2029. The forecast shows significant variations in anticipated traffic between member states, as well as a forecast range indicating how uncertainties, such as geopolitical instability and economic shocks, could affect air traffic.