What are the highest-ever daily IFR totals by country across the EUROCONTROL network – and when were they recorded?

The historic record for the most flights in a single week in the EUROCONTROL Network Manager (NM) area occurred in Week 35 of 2025 (25-31 August) - and in that week, four of the above countries – Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Austria – reached their highest-ever daily number of controlled flights, including overflights, departures and arrivals. More than half of the countries in the NM area have recorded their highest number of daily flights in 2025, with the 12,315 flights handled by France on 18 July 2025 representing the highest daily traffic volume ever recorded for a country in the NM area.

The Balkan States have collectively experienced peak traffic volumes over the past two years. This is in part due to strong recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic, a rise in tourism in these countries, and increasing levels of overflights following airspace re-routings due to war in Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East.

However, not all countries are experiencing flight growth: Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, the Scandinavian countries and the Baltic States all recorded their highest traffic levels more than five years ago, and based on the latest EUROCONTROL base forecast*, their 2025 traffic levels are all expected to remain below those of 2019. Some countries – most notably the Baltic States and Finland – have been heavily affected by the unavailability of Russian and Belarusian airspace to European (and other) airlines. But additional factors have contributed to this decline, including a reduction in some States in domestic flights*, environmental policies promoting alternative modes of transport, and the implementation of departure taxes (e.g. the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden - though Sweden abolished it in July 2025). Airlines ceasing to operate has also played a role, in particular for the base countries of those operators (e.g. Flybe and Thomas Cook for the UK). Additionally, high en-route unit rates in certain countries may have contributed to a reduction in overflights. 

Political instability has further impacted traffic in several countries. Ukraine, Moldova and Israel reached their highest traffic in 2012, 2013 and 2018, respectively – prior to the outbreak of the Russian war of aggression in 2014 and conflict in Gaza.

In general, most countries on the South East and South West axes reached their maximum flight levels in 2025, reflecting the shift in demand coupled with increased traffic to holiday destinations, and a dip in business travel compared to pre-pandemic years.

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