Europe has returned to 6.9 million flights, and the region is growing even faster
In 2025, the European Union recorded 6.9 million commercial flights, 3.8 percent more than the previous year. Behind the return towards pre-pandemic levels lies a considerably more interesting regional story: the south and southeast of Europe are growing faster, and among the markets of the Adriatic region, Bosnia and Herzegovina stands out in particular.
European air transport has practically closed its post-pandemic recovery cycle. According to the latest Eurostat data, 6.9 million commercial flights were operated in European Union countries during 2025, compared with 6.7 million the year before. This is an increase of 3.8 percent, while the number of flights is once again very close to the 2019 level, when there were around seven million.
No, the European market is not recovering at the same speed. EUROCONTROL for the wider area of its network records 11.1 million flights in 2025, 4.1 percent more than the year before, and explicitly states that Southeastern Europe was the fastest-growing part of the network. Southern European markets are already largely above pre-pandemic levels, primarily due to strong tourism demand.
Meanwhile, a distinction must be made between two sets of data. Eurostat's 6.9 million refers to commercial flights within the EU, whereas EUROCONTROL monitors the wider European network, including non-EU countries and overflights. It is precisely this broader view that provides a better picture of what is happening in the markets of the Adriatic region.
BiH grows by 19 percent, Croatia remains the largest regional market
In absolute numbers, Croatia was the largest market among the observed countries in the region during 2025, with an average of 359 arrivals and departures per day. It is followed by Serbia and Montenegro, which EUROCONTROL lists together in this overview due to an integrated air navigation service provider, with 317 flights per day.
Albania was at 192, Bosnia and Herzegovina at 74, and Slovenia at 71 in average daily arrivals or departures.
| Market | Average daily arrivals and departures 2025. | Change vs. 2024. | Average of all flights with overflights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia | 359 | +4% | 2.743 |
| Serbia / Montenegro* | 317 | +4% | 2.877 |
| Albania | 192 | +2% | 1.099 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 74 | +19% | 1.628 |
| Slovenia | 71 | +5% | 1.612 |
* In this report, EUROCONTROL presents Serbia and Montenegro together due to their integrated ANSP. The figure in the final column includes arrivals, departures, and overflights, and should not be equated with tourist or airport traffic.
The biggest surprise is Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 19 percent growth in the number of arrivals and departures was among the highest in the entire EUROCONTROL network. The organisation attributes this jump primarily to the expansion of operations by Wizz Air, Ryanair and Turkish Airlines, particularly on routes to Germany, Turkey and Italy.
For the tourism market, this data is more important than the low absolute base itself. BiH shows how quickly additional low-cost capacity can change destination accessibility and open up new source markets.
Budget airlines are changing the geography of European growth
EUROCONTROL concludes that the Mediterranean and South-Eastern markets made a disproportionately large contribution to the growth of European traffic during 2025. The reasons are a combination of leisure demand, higher tourist flows and the expansion of low-cost carriers.
Meanwhile, low-cost carriers became the largest segment of the European market for the first time by number of flights, slightly ahead of traditional legacy carriers. Their operations grew by around six percent compared to 2024.
BiH is standing out once again. According to EUROCONTROL’s analysis of airline operations, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Turkey saw at least 50% growth in low-cost operations compared to the pre-pandemic period.
For the Adriatic region, this has very concrete consequences. Growth is no longer reserved solely for the largest tourist airports and national carriers. Secondary airports and smaller markets can gain a large number of new seats in a short time if carriers include them in their bases and networks.
On the other hand, reliance on the low-cost model also brings greater exposure to frequent capacity changes. Routes can be opened quickly, but just as quickly scaled back if the carrier finds a more profitable alternative in another market.
The summer months still rely heavily on charter traffic
Eurostat data also shows just how much seasonality still determines the European market. Non-scheduled commercial flights, which include charter traffic, accounted for 8.5 percent of all flights in the EU during 2025.
However, in June their share rose to 11.2 per cent, in July to 12.3 per cent, and in August to 11.4 per cent. August was also the busiest month of the year with just over 693,000 commercial flights.
This is particularly relevant for Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and other distinctly seasonal leisure markets. Despite the expansion of regular low-cost routes, charter and other non-scheduled capacities still play a visible role during the peak season.
Increased traffic is increasing pressure on the airspace
Growth is not only important from the perspective of the airport. The Adriatic region is also located on one of Europe's busier air corridors.
When including overflights alongside arrivals and departures, during 2025 EUROCONTROL recorded an average of 2,877 flights per day in the airspace of Serbia and Montenegro, and 2,743 in Croatian airspace. BiH stood at 1,628 flights, Slovenia at 1,612, and Albania at 1,099.
These numbers partly reflect route changes due to closed or restricted airspaces in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Therefore, they are not a direct measure of tourism demand, but they very well illustrate the operational pressure under which the regional infrastructure is placed.
During 2025, Croatia made a visible shift: delays related to capacity and staff shortages in air traffic control were reduced by 78 percent compared to 2024. Nevertheless, EUROCONTROL lists Zagreb and Belgrade among the centres that were affected by more serious weather disruptions during the year. Sarajevo also recorded traffic growth in its control area, alongside pressure on capacity.
That is also a warning for the tourism industry. Further growth in seat capacity will not depend solely on demand, hotels and new routes. During peak summer periods, the capacities of airports, air traffic control and the wider European network will become increasingly important.
For 2026, EUROCONTROL expects around 11.3 million flights in the ECAC area under the base scenario, which is 2.7 per cent more than in 2025, while traffic could reach approximately 12.8 million flights a year by 2032. The forecast is currently more cautious due to geopolitical risks, but the underlying trend remains the same: Southern and Eastern Europe are growing faster than the traditional markets of North-Western Europe.
For the Adriatic region, therefore, the main question is no longer whether demand will grow. More important is how much extra traffic airports, airlines and the air traffic control system can properly accommodate during a few of the busiest summer months.
