Who Flies the Most? Leading Airlines, Busiest Airports, and Key Growth Data

The aviation market continues to grow: Increase in flight traffic in Europe and worldwide.

The aviation industry continues to show stable growth, with an average of 24,776 daily flights during the 6th week of 2024, a 3% increase from the previous week, as traffic continues to grow daily.

Key growth data:

966,000 flights have been accumulated since the beginning of the year, reflecting 95% of pre-pandemic aviation activity, and a 5% increase compared to the same period last year.

Domestic European traffic led the growth, with 18,758 daily flights, a 4% increase compared to the previous week, making it the strongest category.

Among international routes, traffic between Europe and North Africa showed the sharpest increase of 5% (1,150 daily flights). On the other hand, there was a 2% decrease in traffic between Europe and the Middle East (1,379 daily flights) and a 1% decrease in traffic to North America and Asia/Oceania (921 and 841 daily flights, respectively).

Airlines, airports, and countries with the strongest performance

Most airlines, countries, and airports recorded an increase in flight traffic compared to the previous week and last year.

Ryanair. Photo: shutterstock

 Leading airlines:

1️⃣ Ryanair – 2,527 daily flights (+11%)
2️⃣ Turkish Airlines – 1,351 daily flights (-5%)
3️⃣ easyJet – 1,227 daily flights (+29%, the highest increase among the top 40 airlines)

 Busiest airports:

Photo: Shutterstock

1️⃣ IGA Istanbul – 1,336 daily flights (-4%)
2️⃣ London Heathrow – 1,276 daily flights (+2%)
3️⃣ Amsterdam Schiphol – 1,234 daily flights (+3%)

Countries with the most flights:

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1️⃣ United Kingdom – 4,646 daily flights (+5%)
2️⃣ Spain – 4,117 daily flights (+7%, the sharpest increase in the top ten)
3️⃣ Germany – 3,875 daily flights (+2%)

Punctuality and congestion challenges

 85% of flights landed on time, a slight improvement of 1% compared to the previous week.
On the other hand, there were 13,529 daily minutes of ATFM (Air Traffic Flow Management) delays, a deterioration of 8% compared to the previous week.
26% of the delays were caused by severe weather conditions ?️, while 55% resulted from congestion and staffing issues, with delay distribution being almost equal between airports and air routes.

Will the growth continue?

According to the latest data, the aviation market continues to recover at a steady pace and maintain levels close to those before the pandemic. With continuous growth in domestic European traffic and an increase in North African routes, the industry seems to be getting back on track. However, challenges such as delays due to staff shortages and severe weather conditions continue to impact performance.

The big question now: Will the recovery trend continue, and what will be its effects on the coming summer?