Cirium, a leading aviation data and analytics company, has recently released a report on the European countries that are recovering the fastest from the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of air travel.
The report ranks 42 European countries and regions based on the percentage of flight departures in 2022 compared to 2019 levels.
According to the report, the United Kingdom ranks 29th on the list, with departures in 2022 being 25% down on 2019 levels.
The UK recorded over 1,086,833 departures in 2019, but in 2022 the figure fell to 816,854. Ireland, on the other hand, performed better than the UK, with 2022 departures being only 14% below pre-pandemic levels.
Interestingly, only two European countries saw last year’s departures exceed pre-pandemic levels – Albania (18%) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (14%).
This shows that the recovery of air travel in Europe is still slow, with many countries struggling to reach pre-pandemic levels.
However, some countries have performed better than others in terms of recovery. Greece, Portugal, and Iceland neared pre-pandemic levels, with departures being only 2%, 4%, and 5% down, respectively.
This is due to their successful vaccination campaigns and their efforts to reopen their borders to international tourists.
On the other hand, Ukraine suffered the largest fall in flights, with 2022 departures 85% down on 2019 levels. This can be attributed to the country’s political instability and ongoing conflict with Russia.
Despite European sanctions, flights from the Russian Federation were only down 20% of 2019 levels – meaning flight levels recovered faster than in the UK.
This is likely due to the country’s strong domestic market and its ability to attract tourists from neighboring countries.
Overall, the report highlights that the recovery of air travel in Europe is still slow and uneven, with some countries performing better than others.
While some countries have made progress in reopening their borders and attracting tourists, others continue to struggle due to ongoing political and economic challenges.
For individual country analysis, see the below table:
| Travel Year | 2019 | 2022 | |
| Origin Country | Departures | Departures | 2022 vs 2019 Difference |
| Albania | 14,921 | 17,671 | 18% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 7,901 | 8,981 | 14% |
| Greece | 240,962 | 236,689 | -2% |
| Portugal | 217,196 | 208,028 | -4% |
| Iceland | 29,869 | 28,378 | -5% |
| Macedonia | 8,871 | 8,220 | -7% |
| Norway | 321,957 | 296,028 | -8% |
| Spain | 942,360 | 851,666 | -10% |
| Serbia | 37,990 | 34,199 | -10% |
| Turkiye | 609,417 | 544,935 | -11% |
| Luxembourg | 26,923 | 23,919 | -11% |
| Croatia | 50,498 | 44,660 | -12% |
| Ireland | 134,225 | 115,046 | -14% |
| Gibraltar | 1,808 | 1,526 | -16% |
| Italy | 700,290 | 590,420 | -16% |
| Cyprus | 45,662 | 38,447 | -16% |
| Netherlands | 267,505 | 221,008 | -17% |
| Romania | 89,419 | 73,503 | -18% |
| Russian Federation | 633,727 | 507,895 | -20% |
| Estonia | 17,563 | 13,796 | -21% |
| Lithuania | 24,767 | 19,413 | -22% |
| Montenegro | 10,657 | 8,315 | -22% |
| Poland | 189,765 | 147,412 | -22% |
| Bulgaria | 37,669 | 29,152 | -23% |
| Malta | 24,658 | 19,036 | -23% |
| France | 733,561 | 563,428 | -23% |
| Belgium | 129,311 | 98,565 | -24% |
| Denmark | 158,290 | 120,343 | -24% |
| United Kingdom | 1,086,883 | 816,854 | -25% |
| Switzerland | 221,177 | 165,467 | -25% |
| Hungary | 55,851 | 41,740 | -25% |
| Austria | 151,907 | 106,269 | -30% |
| Sweden | 217,450 | 145,441 | -33% |
| Germany | 966,681 | 631,160 | -35% |
| Finland | 117,050 | 74,606 | -36% |
| Slovakia | 9,299 | 5,836 | -37% |
| Latvia | 39,631 | 23,660 | -40% |
| Moldova | 12,701 | 7,307 | -42% |
| Czech Republic | 67,034 | 36,648 | -45% |
| Slovenia | 10,792 | 4,706 | -56% |
| Belarus | 23,723 | 9,961 | -58% |
| Ukraine | 92,800 | 14,178 | -85% |
