In 2025, a total of 6.9 million civil flights were carried out in the European Union, representing a 3.8 percent increase compared to the previous year, 2024, when the number was 6.7 million. This official information was published by Eurostat based on data from Eurocontrol, the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation. Air traffic has maintained a steady upward trend since 2021, reaching levels in 2025 that are almost comparable to those of the pre-pandemic year 2019, for which 7.0 million flights were recorded.
Non-scheduled civil flights, which include charter and other special lines, accounted for 8.5 percent of total air traffic in 2025. These flights were most intensive during the summer season, with 648,707 flights recorded in June, 690,855 in July, and 693,046 in August. Their share during these respective months amounted to 11.2, 12.3, and 11.4 percent.
Among the leading airports in the EU, three stand out with the highest number of civil flights – both scheduled and non-scheduled:
- Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Netherlands: 488,000 flights;
- Paris-Charles de Gaulle, France: 476,000 flights;
- Frankfurt Airport, Germany: 457,000 flights.
Within the same ranking of the 10 busiest airports in the EU, a specific share of non-scheduled flights also stands out, with the highest values recorded at Athens/Eleftherios Venizelos in Greece (5.2 percent), Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas in Spain (4.8 percent), and Copenhagen/Kastrup in Denmark (4.1 percent).
Bulgaria also reported positive growth, with a total of 91,147 operations recorded last year at the four airports serving scheduled civil flights. This represents a 5.2 percent increase compared to 2024. The distribution by airport is as follows:
- Sofia: 63,894 flights (an increase of 2,229 compared to 2024);
- Varna: 13,597 flights (an increase of 1,884 compared to 2024);
- Burgas: 12,184 flights (an increase of 75 compared to 2024);
- Plovdiv: 1,472 flights (an increase of 309 compared to 2024).