EUROCONTROL latest air traffic forecast covering 2024-2030

EUROCONTROL has released an updated 7-year air traffic forecast (Autumn 2024), building on the Spring 2024 edition and incorporating the latest trends and a partial update of forecast inputs.

For the year 2024, traffic in the ECAC area is expected to reach 10.7 million flights (base scenario), 5.1% up on 2023 and 96% of 2019. This reflects the actual traffic up to the end of September and is broadly in line with the previous forecast.

For 2025, traffic is expected to grow by 3.7% to 11.1 million flights (base scenario). On a monthly basis, the overall number of flights across the European aviation network is still predicted to reach 2019 levels during Summer 2025. However, many states already have traffic considerably in excess of 2019.

Beyond 2025 traffic is expected to continue to grow, reaching over 12 million flights by 2030 in the base scenario (and over 13 million flights in the high scenario).

For the states involved in the Single European Sky Performance Scheme, overall flight growth is expected to average 2.3% annually (±1.5pp) between 2025 and 2029 (RP4), representing a slight upward revision from the previous forecast. There is considerable variation between states.

This forecast is subject to various uncertainties, such as geopolitical events, economic shocks and ongoing challenges in the aviation industry; users are strongly advised to consider the low-to-high range of forecast values for their plans.