Air transport prices across the EU have swung sharply since the start of 2025, with year-on-year changes ranging from double-digit rises to notable falls.
The average price of air transport services — including plane tickets — fluctuated significantly from January 2025 to June 2026, Eurostat reported on Thursday.
The figures are based on the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), an EU measure that compares changes in consumer prices across member states.
The biggest year-on-year increase over the period was recorded in April 2025, when prices were up 13.7% compared with April 2024.
After relatively modest increases in the summer months, 2026 began with a year-on-year decrease before rising in February and March and then falling sharply in April 2026, when prices were down 4.7%.
Prices then rose again, increasing 8.1% in May 2026 compared with May 2025, and were 3.1% higher in June 2026 than a year earlier.
International flights drove much of the swing
Overall movement in air transport prices was mostly linked to changes in international air travel prices rather than domestic routes, Eurostat said.
International price changes fell more sharply than domestic flights in weaker months, but also rose more strongly in surges — including a 14.1% increase in April 2025 and an 8.7% rise in May 2026.
In June 2026, international air travel prices were up 4.5% year on year, while domestic air travel prices increased by 2.0%.
The latest data also show wide differences between EU countries in spring 2026.
In Belgium, prices rose year on year in April, May and June 2026, increasing 41.5%, 33.8% and 28.7% respectively.
Slovakia recorded steep year-on-year falls over the same months, with prices down 53.0% in April, 48.2% in May and 45.1% in June.
Across the EU, many countries saw air transport prices fall in April 2026 before rising again in May.
In June 2026, Austria recorded a year-on-year increase of 22.3% and Greece 15.1%, while Hungary and Poland were among the biggest decreases, at -13.6% and -13.1% respectively.
