European aircraft movements rising: Eurocontrol

More aircraft flew between European airports yesterday than on any day since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, according to European air safety organisation Eurocontrol. Some easing of travel restrictions has led to rising demand for air travel, but levels have some way to go to catch up with 2019.

There were around 23,000 flights yesterday, compared with 36,000 on the same day in 2019. This is the closest to 2019 since the pandemic wiped demand for air travel 18 months ago.

The rising trend looks likely to hold, with Eurocontrol recording consistent daily increases since June and England easing travel restrictions further today. Between January and May, flight numbers trailed pre-pandemic levels by 60pc, and numbers only began to substantially lift in last month. Flight numbers lagged 2019 levels by 57.5pc on 1 June and had moved up 22 percentage points by yesterday.

The uptick in demand is helping jet fuel prices in the Mediterranean, with refinery outages in the region causing tight supplies and supporting prices further. Flights departing from Spain, Germany, France, Turkey and Italy made up the majority yesterday, according to Eurocontrol.

By Bea O'Kelly