Air traffic in EU saw record passenger numbers in 2018

Over 1.1 billion passengers travelled by air in the EU in 2018, up 6% compared with 2017 and 43% from 2010, EU statistical authority Eurostat said on Friday. "In the EU, the number of air passengers rose by 62.8 million between 2017 and 2018, driven by the rise in extra-EU (9%) and intra-EU transport (5%)," it said. In 2018, the largest number of air passengers was in the U.K. with 272 million passengers, followed by Germany and Spain with 222 and 221 million.

"The highest increases were registered in Lithuania (19%), Latvia, Poland and Slovakia (all 16%), whilst he lowest increase was registered in Sweden (1%), followed by the United Kingdom (3%), Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands (all 4%),” it said.

Top 3 passenger airports in EU

London's Heathrow Airport remained the EU’s busiest passenger airport in 2018, with 80 million passengers handled in 2018.  Paris' Charles de Gaulle ranked second with 72 million passengers, followed by Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport with 71 million.