Geneva - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data showing that European air connectivity essentially flatlined in 2025 with a net 1% growth in the total number of routes connecting the continent (both internally and with other parts of the world). This is below the compound annual growth of 1.5% over the last decade.
“The growth of airline route networks reflects both developments in demand and the operating environment. That the European Union (EU)’s air connectivity virtually flatlined in 2025 is no surprise. The regulatory burden is onerous, costs are high, and the EU’s well-documented underlying competitiveness issues have not been seriously addressed. Consumer protections are a case in point. The flaws of the current regulation have been known but attempts to correct them appear to be doomed to just make them worse. These are the kind of frustrations that make it more difficult for airlines to grow the connectivity that Europe relies on to power jobs and economic growth,” said Thomas Reynaert, IATA’s Senior Vice President External Relations.
• 1,127 routes across the EU were canceled in 2025.
• 1,281 routes were added (568 of which were ‘starts’ of routes operated in the last decade, but paused for at least one year).
• The net gain of 154 routes is a 1% growth of the route network that now totals 14,797.
The benefits of Europe’s air links are well-established: more than 9.2 million jobs and EUR 760 billion in GDP are generated by aviation and aviation-related tourism in the EU. Business, social opportunities, and leisure spending are underpinned by the growth in air travel that has unified Europe and connected Europe to the world. (....)