Croatia among top in Europe in flight growth

Zadar Airport

The number of commercial flights across the European Union in September 2025 remained just below pre-pandemic figures, but several countries, including Croatia, recorded strong growth.

According to Eurostat data, there were 653,072 commercial flights in the EU in September 2025, representing a 2.6% increase compared with September 2024.

Despite the improvement, flight numbers were still 1.8% below the same month in 2019, before the pandemic disrupted air travel.

Croatia stood out among the top-performing EU countries, recording a 19% increase in flights compared with 2019, placing it alongside Malta (+19%), Cyprus (+24%), Poland (+22%), and Greece (+21%) – all of which have exceeded their pre-pandemic levels.

By contrast, several northern European countries are still seeing declines. Latvia (-30%), Sweden (-27%), and Finland (-24%) reported the largest drops, while Germany also remains below pre-pandemic levels, down 13%.

The positive trend seen last month continues the pattern from the summer months. Flight numbers were up compared with 2024 across the board: June (+2.8%), July (+2.9%), and August (+3.3%).

While these totals were still slightly under 2019 levels, the gap has been narrowing, with August just 0.3% below pre-pandemic figures.

For Croatia, the strong growth reflects the country’s steady tourism and continued appeal as a destination for visitors from across Europe.