EU air connectivity ‘flatlined’ in 2025, with route numbers growing 1%

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Direct flights open up so many places you wouldn’t have considered before, yet for many European travellers, there just aren’t that many new spots to consider.

That’s because EU air connectivity “essentially flatlined in 2025”, with a net growth of 1%, according to International Air Transport Association (IATA) data.

Some 1,127 routes across the EU were cancelled in 2025, with just 1,281 added. Of these, 568 were routes operated previously in the last decade but paused for at least a year.

The net gain of 154 routes amounts to 1%, bringing the route network total up to 14,797. That’s below the compound annual growth of 1.5% over the last decade.

“Europe’s prosperity depends on extensive and efficient intra- and inter-continental links,” Thomas Reynaert, IATA’s senior vice president of external relations, said.

“Each new air route creates new jobs and business and social opportunities. Fortunately, European politicians have numerous options to introduce smarter regulations and help airlines compete and grow.”

What’s behind the lack of new routes?

A number of factors are to blame, including regulatory burden and costs, the IATA has claimed.

“The regulatory burden is onerous, costs are high, and the EU’s well-documented underlying competitiveness issues have not been seriously addressed,” Reynaert added.

“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.”

The IATA has called for policymakers to eliminate national passenger taxes, reduce the costs of Sustainable Aviation Fuel, allow more flexibility for airport slot relief, and reform the EU261 passenger rights regulation to increase the time thresholds for compensation.