Europe's Largest Domestic Airline Markets May Never Recover From the Pandemic
Photo Credit: Air France is growing its connections with TGV high-speed trains at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport. Airline Weekly / Edward Russell
A shift is underway in how Europeans get around. Air travel is still king with discounters, like Ryanair and Wizz Air, carrying record numbers of fliers around the continent. But in some of Europe's largest domestic markets, trains are emerging as clear winners.
Airline seats in France and Germany, two of the continent's largest aviation markets — both within Europe and globally — are down double digits since 2019. There are 49 percent fewer airline seats in Germany today than there were in 2019, Cirium Diio schedule data for the second quarter shows. And seats in France are down 20 percent over the same period. Domestic seats are also down in Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the UK.
Several domestic markets, particularly those in southern Europe, do continue to grow. Seats in Greece are up 10 percent, Italy 9 percent, and Spain 7 percent in the second quarter compared to four years ago, according to Diio. This growth comes despite robust rail networks in Italy