- IATA published a blog on European aviation connectivity.
- Air transport supported 18m jobs across Europe in 2025.
- It generated €1.36 trillion in economic activity or 4.9pc of European GDP.
- 28pc of EU city-pairs serviced by regional aircraft in 2016 are no longer served.
- The blog calls for support for CORSIA over expansion of EU ETS.
IATA has published a blog post exploring issues raised at the Wings of Change Europe event in Brussels. The blog touches on new figures for the economic benefits of air transport connectivity to Europe and the increasing tax and regulation burden that could compromise those benefits.
New analysis from Oxford Economics shows that in 2025 air transport supported 18m jobs across Europe and generated €1.36 trillion in economic activity, or 4.9pc of European GDP. Aviation’s direct contribution alone reached €306bn, approaching the size of Czechia’s economy.
Of the 554 city-pairs within the EU that were serviced by regional aircraft in 2016, 28pc are no longer served by any airline. When a route becomes unviable a region loses direct access to visitors, investment and export markets.
Thomas Reynaert shared “New analysis from Oxford Economics, commissioned by IATA and the Air Transport Action Group, shows what is at stake for Europe in socioeconomic terms. In 2025, air transport supported 18 million jobs across Europe and generated €1.36 trillion in economic activity, or 4.9pc of European GDP.”
