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The race to fly Europe's most airline passengers

Race · 31 Oct 2026

Bar chart race of air passengers carried by each country's airlines, 1995 to 2023, for 14 European countries. The UK and Germany lead until 2016. Ireland, in gold, starts tenth with 6.6 million, passes the UK in 2017 and, after Russia leads in the Covid years 2020 and 2021, ends first with 193 million, ahead of Turkey and the UK. A note at 2020 marks Covid grounding planes.

Ireland's airlines carried Europe's most passengers in 2023: 193 million, up from 6.6m in 1995

Air passengers carried by airlines registered in Ireland, the UK, Turkey, Germany and 10 other European countries, 1995 to 2023.

The count goes by where an airline is registered, and Ryanair is Irish. In 1995 Irish airlines carried 6.6 million passengers, 10th of these 14 and a ninth of the British figure. They passed Britain's in 2017. Russia led in 2020 and 2021, when Covid grounded most of Europe's flights. In 2023 Ireland's carried 193 million, more than Turkey's (126 million) or Britain's (119 million).

Source: World Bank (ICAO), 2023