Eurostat: International air travel prices in EU in June 2026 up 4.5% y/y
In June 2026, international air travel prices in the European Union increased by 4.5 per cent and domestic air travel by two per cent on an annual basis, EU statistics agency Eurostat said on July 23.
The average price of air transport services, including plane tickets, in the EU has fluctuated significantly since January 2025, Eurostat said.
This volatility reflects travel demand, seasonality and recent geopolitical events, it said.
Between January 2025 and June 2026, the highest increase in air transport services prices was registered in April 2025, 13.7 per cent, compared with April 2024. This increase in the annual rate of change was followed by fluctuations with modest increases in the summer months.
The year 2026 started with a year-on-year decrease followed by rises in February and March and a sharp drop (4.7 per cent) in April. In May, air transport services prices rose by 8.1 per cent compared with May 2025, with June following the same trend and registering a 3.1 per cent increase.
Overall prices for air transport were mostly impacted by variations in international air transport. Annual price changes for international travel fell more sharply than for domestic flights in weak months but they also recorded strong surges, including 14.1 per cent in April 2025 and 8.7 per cent in May 2026.
Between April and June 2026, annual rates of change for air transport services varied widely among EU countries.
In Belgium, prices increased for all the three months, though at a slowing pace: by 41.5 per cent in April 2026, 33.8 per cent in May, and 28.7 per cent in June compared with the same months in 2025. On the other hand, in Slovakia, prices of air transport services declined, most notably in April 2026 (-53.0 per cent), May (-48.2 per cent), and June (-45.1 per cent) as well.
In most EU countries, however, prices for air transport services dropped in April 2026, followed by increases in May 2026.
In June 2026, Austria (+22.3 per cent) and Greece (+15.1 per cent) also registered annual rates of change above 15 per cent. In contrast, Hungary (-13.6 per cent) and Poland (-13.1 per cent) were among the biggest decreases, Eurostat said.
(Photo: Julian Herzog, via Wikimedia Commons)
