While every European country reported an increase in air passengers last year, Malta recorded the highest percentage increase, with passenger numbers up 33.3%, new data from Eurostat has found.
Other countries to report a notable increase in air passengers in 2023 included Slovenia (+30.9%), and Czechia (+29.4%), the data showed, with air passenger numbers higher across the bloc due to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.
The smallest increases in passenger numbers were recorded in Estonia (+7.9%), Greece (+9.6%), and Lithuania (+12.3%).
Air passengers in European Union
In 2023, the number of air passengers in the European Union reached 973 million, a 19.3% increase on the 816 million recorded in 2022. The figures represent passengers counted once per flight, excluding direct transit passengers.
The top five EU airports for passenger traffic remained the same as in 2022, with all experiencing notable growth, year-on-year. Charles de Gaulle aiport in Paris led the way with 67.4 million passengers (+17.3%), followed by Amsterdam Schiphol with 61.9 million (+17.9%), Barajas (Madrid) with 60.1 million (+20.4%), Frankfurt/Main with 59.3 million (+21.5%), and El Prat in Barcelona with 49.8 million (+20.6%).
Among the top 10 airports in Europe, Rome Fiumicino reported the highest growth, with passenger numbers rising by close to two fifths (38.2%), reaching 40.3 million passengers. Paris-Orly, meanwhile, reported the smallest increase among the top 10, at 10.6%, dropping from 8th to 10th place.
Air freight and mail
While passenger numbers rose across Europe, air freight and mail transport saw a decline, falling by 5.2% compared to 2022. This decline affected domestic, intra-EU, and extra-EU transport, which fell by 4.1%, 5.0%, and 5.3%, respectively.
On a country-by-country basis, Slovakia (-38.6%), Estonia (-22.6%), and Luxembourg (-18.0%) saw the largest decreases in freight and mail transport. In contrast, Spain (+17.9%), Malta (+17.6%), and Finland (+9.0%) recorded increases.
The data was released to coincide with International Civil Aviation Day on 7 December, with Eurostat unveiling an interactive visualisation on air passenger transport in 2023. Read more here.
