28,989 daily flights across the European network in the week of 15-21 May, slightly lower than Week 19’s 29,158, reflected a clear drop in air travel over the Ascension period, with 2,125 fewer flights on Friday, -1,060 on Thursday, and just +9 on Saturday.
The week also saw some industrial action & capacity shortage impacts, with SAS in particular operating 18% fewer flights & dropping to 10th.
However, while many of the busiest airlines and airports operated slightly fewer flights (5/10 top airlines flying less & movements down at 7/10 top airports), summer destinations and smaller holiday-destination carriers did see growth.
While the top 5 airlines all flew slightly less, lower down the rankings there was notable growth at 18th place Aegean (+9%) and 13th place TUI (+5%).
At State level, conversely, 6/10 States added flights compared to the previous week, with Greece expanding the most in 8th place with +9% daily traffic, and Switzerland re-entering the top 10 with a +3% week-on-week increase.
