Brussels: The total number of air passengers in the European Union reached 1.1 billion in 2024, reflecting an 8.3% rise from 973 million in 2023.
According to Emirates News Agency, data published by Eurostat indicates that all EU countries witnessed an uptick in air passenger numbers in 2024 compared to the previous year. Hungary, Czechia, and Estonia experienced the largest surges with increases of 19.2%, 18.9%, and 17.8%, respectively. Conversely, the smallest growth rates were observed in Sweden (+1.3%), Bulgaria (+3.8%), and both France and Ireland (+4.6%).
In addition to passenger numbers, the EU also saw a rise in air freight and mail transport, which went up by 8.7% in 2024 in comparison to 2023. This increase was largely attributed to a 10.8% growth in extra-EU transport, while intra-EU transport remained stable with a slight increase of 0.1%. Domestic transport, however, saw a decline of 4.3%. At a national level, Hungary, Czechia, and Greece reported the most significant gains in air freight and mail transport, with increases of 65.9%, 43.7%, and 36.7%, respectively. In contrast, Poland and Latvia experienced declines of 3.6% and 2.7%.
The report also highlighted the top EU airports by passenger numbers in 2024. Paris/Charles de Gaulle led with 70.3 million passengers, marking a 4.3% increase. Amsterdam/Schiphol followed with 66.8 million passengers (+8.0%), Madrid/Barajas with 66.1 million (+9.9%), Frankfurt/Main with 61.5 million (+3.7%), and Barcelona/El Prat with 54.9 million (+10.3%). Notably, Roma/Fiumicino, ranked sixth, recorded the highest growth among the top 10 airports with a 20.8% increase. Athinai/Eleftherios Venizelos advanced in rankings, surpassing Paris-Orly, to claim the 10th spot due to a substantial passenger growth of 19.6% compared to 2023.