Writer

Charlotte Bailey

While European business aviation activity currently accounts for around 15% of total global usage, the continent’s post-Covid recovery has nevertheless been significantly slower than that experienced elsewhere. Speaking at the British Business and General Aviation Association conference on March 12, WingX CEO Richard Koe revealed that a total of 567,842 European departures in 2025 were underpinned by shifting regional usage, an uptick in larger aircraft types, and the sharp decline of the corporate flight department.
Although it is resilient enough to recover, European business aviation has notably lagged the post-pandemic growth seen in the U.S. In 2025, European activity was up 10% since 2019, a sluggish comparison to the U.S.’s growth of 31%. This, believes Koe, can partly be attributed to a “disappointing” weak European compound annual growth rate: just 2.1% in 2025 versus 1.9% pre-Covid. “This is barely an upwards shift, whereas in the U.S., it’s double,” he explained.
Nevertheless, with scheduled services now serving fewer sectors with diminished schedules, European airlines’ recovery is equally uninspiring. “Overall, bizjet activity in Europe hasn’t done particularly well…but compared to scheduled activity, it’s certainly offering a fuller service,” suggested Koe. Of the top 10 European cities for business jet departures, scheduled services fell across the board, with the exception of Mallorca.
In particular, a 51% increase in private flights to Milan—something Koe believes could be attributed to “generous tax structures” within the northern Italian city—also coincides with a 29% decrease in scheduled flights serving the same routes.
<h2>Post-Covid Landscape Is Uneven</h2>
The post-Covid landscape has also seen regional demand shift, with typically strong markets in Central Europe usurped by rising demand for destinations in Western Europe and the Mediterranean area. A 46% rise in Southern European traffic was driven by a faster-growing economy and tourism, while in northern Europe, a 37% hike was heavily influenced by the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Of 2025’s 7.52 million total European departures, London airports kept the top spot, although business jets only accounted for 9% of total movements. Compared with 2019, the strongest growth came from Milan (up 49%), followed by Madrid (up 44%), with Mallorca and Rome up 42% and 41% respectively.
European medium- and large-cabin jet activity rose 6% overall, while in 2025, the Cessna Citation Excel accounted for around 9% of all departures. The Bombardier Challenger 300/350 saw the highest year-over-year growth, up 15% from 2024 and up 56% since 2019. Despite small-jet activity receding, the Cessna Citation M2 also logged the highest annual rise in usage, up 37% from 2024.
Aircraft evolution is accompanied by a notable shift in the way clients are using these jets, with fractional ownership experiencing a 66.4% growth since 2019. Fractional and private flight departments have experienced particularly strong growth within the Mediterranean region, up 46%, primarily driven by Italy and Greece. Germany and Austria, however, saw fractional usage down by 5.9% and 7.2%, respectively. Corporate flight departments across the board also experienced a drop of 32.7% since 2019. Of the top 10 European business jet departure cities by volume, Germany’s Munich was the only one to experience a decline in traffic, with departures down 3%. &nbsp;

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