Charter Flights in European Union 2026: Industry Statistics & Trends

The charter flights industry in the European Union provides non-scheduled air passenger transport, catering primarily to seasonal leisure tourism, corporate groups, and private aviation. The sector is characterized by strong seasonality, with operations heavily peaking during the summer months due to holiday travel demand. Official figures indicate a resilient market, where non-scheduled commercial flights constituted 8.7% of all EU commercial flights in 2024, translating to approximately 582,900 non-scheduled flights out of a total 6.7 million commercial flights recorded that year (Eurostat Commercial Flights 2024). The industry continues its post-pandemic recovery path, closely tracking th

Industry snapshot

Key public data points

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What does the Charter Flights in European Union industry cover?

The charter flights industry encompasses all non-scheduled commercial air passenger transport within and into the European Union. Unlike scheduled air services that run on pre-determined timetables, charter services operate based on specific agreements between the aircraft operator and the hiring party, such as tour operators, corporations, or private individuals. The scope includes ad-hoc charter services, seasonal inclusive-tour charters, corporate shuttles, and specialized private business aviation.

• •Classified under the official European NACE Rev. 2 classification system within division 51.10 for passenger air transport.
• •Includes the rental of operational aircraft with an entire flight crew for passenger transit.
• •Covers specialized applications such as medical air ambulance flights and urgent government transport missions.

Who operates in the industry and how is it structured?

The market structure consists of specialized charter airlines, business aviation operators, and traditional scheduled carriers utilizing excess capacity for charter operations. A significant portion of the market is tied to large European travel groups that integrate charter airlines directly into their inclusive-tour package holiday distribution networks. In addition, the business aviation segment features dedicated management companies operating private jet fleets under European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations.

• •Eurostat reported that non-scheduled flights accounted for 8.7% of the 6.7 million total commercial flights in the EU in 2024.
• •Leisure-focused charter operations are highly centralized around major European outbound tourism origins like Germany and France.
• •Major commercial infrastructure hubs such as Amsterdam Schiphol, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and Frankfurt/Main support the highest absolute volumes of European flight activity.

What drives demand in the industry?

Demand is overwhelmingly driven by European leisure tourism cycles, corporate travel budgets, and consumer preference for direct regional connectivity. Holidaymakers seeking convenient access to Mediterranean coastal destinations drive sharp surges in traffic volume during the middle of the calendar year. Economic stability, disposable income growth, and corporate event scheduling also heavily dictate the demand for ad-hoc business charters.

• •Eurostat statistics reveal that the summer months of June, July, and August 2024 experienced the highest prevalence of non-scheduled flights at 10.3%, 10.7%, and 10.1% respectively.
• •Airports serving major Mediterranean holiday destinations, such as Athens International Airport, recorded high non-scheduled flight shares reaching 5.5% of their total traffic in 2024.
• •Total commercial air passenger transport in the EU expanded by 8.3% year-on-year in 2024, providing a growing baseline for non-scheduled segments.

Who are the notable companies in the industry?

The competitive landscape features a blend of vertically integrated tourism conglomerates, specialized regional operators, and global business aviation firms. Large publicly traded travel groups dominate the leisure charter segment by operating captive airlines to support their packaged holiday offerings. The market remains competitive as operators adapt to fleet modernization requirements and fluctuating fuel costs across the single European aviation market.

• •TUI AG operates a prominent European charter and leisure fleet across multiple national subsidiaries, including TUI fly.
• •Air France-KLM Group participates in non-scheduled and leisure markets through its specialized operating brands and group capacity.
• •Deutsche Lufthansa AG engages in the broader charter ecosystem through its subsidiary operations and ad-hoc long-haul flight services.
• •International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG) leverages its multi-brand network to provide non-scheduled capacity across the EU.

What are the recent trends and outlook?

The industry is experiencing a sustained structural recovery following global travel disruptions, moving closer to historically high traffic benchmarks. Flight activity continues to rise across almost all member states, with Eurocontrol and Eurostat documenting widespread passenger gains. Strategic focus is shifting toward environmental compliance, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), and digital efficiency in fleet deployment to counter rising operational bottlenecks.

• •Total EU commercial flight activity reached 6.7 million movements in 2024, representing a 5.8% increase compared to the 6.3 million flights in 2023.
• •Despite robust recovery, the 2024 flight volumes remained slightly below the pre-pandemic peak of 7.0 million commercial flights established in 2019.
• •Eurocontrol's long-term forecast models predict continued incremental network flight growth through the late 2020s and early 2030s.

How is the industry regulated?

Operators within the EU must strictly adhere to harmonized safety, environmental, and operational standards overseen by regional and national authorities. The regulatory framework ensures standard licensing, consumer protection laws, and strict emission controls across the single aviation market. Compliance requires substantial capital investment to meet evolving decarbonization mandates and regional noise limitations at prominent airports.

• •All operators must secure an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from their respective national aviation authority under EASA guidelines.
• •Flights are subjected to en-route unit rate charges managed by Eurocontrol based on aircraft weight and distance flown.
• •Operations comply with the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and ReFuelEU Aviation initiatives designed to accelerate sustainable fuel blending.

Government, statistical and trade sources used for this Claight analysis.

• Eurostat Commercial Flights 2024 ·
• Eurostat Air Passenger Transport Statistics 2024 ·
• Eurocontrol Seven-Year Forecast 2025-2031 ·
• European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Regulatory Framework