Airlines are constantly updating their route networks as they respond to changes in market conditions, traveler sentiment, geo-political events, supply chain challenges and even the opening and closure of airports around the world. Balancing network changes alongside available airport slots and commercially attractive schedules can be extremely complex - and that’s before the financial performance of every route is considered.
Some airlines consciously drop a proportion of their existing network every year to keep their offering fresh, what’s known as “network churn” within the industry.
Network churn is often analysed using airline schedule data and can be measured by:
- The number of new routes launched
- The number of routes discontinued
- The proportion of total routes that change year over year
This metric is particularly useful for understanding airline behaviour during periods of uncertainty, such as economic downturns, fuel price volatility, or shifts in passenger demand.
We’ve looked at how much network churn has taken place across European airlines since 2019, including both international and domestic services and split by industry sector (legacy airlines and low-cost carriers (LCCs)). The results could reflect the way that European aviation is heading.
International Growth at the Expense of Domestic Services
There is frequent debate about the decline of regional domestic services and the impact on local economies. However, since 2019 the number of domestic airport pairs operated in Europe has remained largely unchanged, falling by only one. By contrast, international airport pairs have reduced by 23 over the same period. The most significant disruption was caused by the pandemic in 2020, with nearly 2,300 airport pairs dropped, and only in 2022 did a significant recovery in the number of international routes operated get under way.
One notable contributor to the reduction in domestic services has been in Berlin. In 2023, the opening of the new Berlin Brandenberg Airport was a major factor in the loss of domestic services; Berlin Tegel Airport had some 36,600 scheduled domestic services in 2019, compared to just 13,000 at Berlin Brandenberg in 2025, a massive reduction in domestic capacity at what was planned to be a major hub airport.
Analysis at a country level shows growth in domestic services in Spain, Greece and Portugal:
- In Spain, 43 new airport pairs have been launched since 2019 through a combination of frequency growth from Binter Canarias and Ryanair, although in the case of Ryanair their 2026 frequency will drop given their dispute with airport management company AENA.
- In Portugal, SATA Airlines has increased frequency by 26% with the expansion of services to and from Punta Delgada driving much of the growth.
- Greek operator Aegean Airlines’ launch of domestic services in 2022 and subsequent growth to over 50,000 flights in 2025 more than counterbalances the removal of 41,000 domestic flights in 2025 by Olympic Airways, which has gone from market leader to third place.
Low-Cost Airlines Racing Ahead
With multiple operating bases in Europe, low-cost carriers have been able to grow their numbers of airport pairs. And with more aircraft deliveries expected through 2026 this is only likely to continue. Ryanair led the market last year, operating a staggering 2,673 airport pairs with more than 30 flights; three of the five largest airport pairs are unsurprisingly from Dublin, with London Stansted still their largest route.
The high churn of LCCs’ airport pairs is best highlighted by WizzAir, which between 2019 and 2025 stopped operating 328 airport pairs and yet still managed a net increase of 211 in that time. WizzAir has increased operations in Italy three-fold, with 10% of those additional flights allocated to domestic services, many of which operate to/from Catania. First-mover advantage has also been secured by WizzAir in emergent markets such as Albania and North Macedonia - although, in time, other LCCs will enter the market, competing for traffic.
Why is There Less Network Churn for Legacy Airlines?
For legacy airlines adding new airport pairs can be more challenging, especially in Europe where there are complexities to contend with including:
- Capacity limits
- Commercial partnerships
- Overseas franchises
- Multiple other variables which can require careful analysis
These three examples demonstrate some of the complexities in legacy airlines’ network churn:
- The British Airways franchise with Comair operated 15 airport pairs from South Africa and when the airline collapsed all of those were lost. British Airways has added back a Jersey – Heathrow service along with a cluster of UK - European destinations and long-haul services to Malé, Portland and Bangkok from their two bases in London.
- Air France operated fewer airport pairs in 2025 than in 2019 due to government directives. Services to Paris Orly were badly impacted with a loss of 27,500 domestic flights a year, the equivalent of seventy-five flights a day! Marseille was particularly badly affected, losing some 5,300 flights a year since the turn of the decade.
- Turkish Airlines appears to have lost around 173 airport pairs, but this largely reflects a transfer of services to its low-cost subsidiary, AnadoluJet. The reallocation of operating prefixes on many services lies behind what looks like a shrinking network at surface level.
For all airlines regardless of their location or market segment, keeping the network fresh and responding to both new opportunities and changing consumer demands is a key part of business planning. Looking ahead, it’s very clear that much of the exciting new network growth and airport pairs will come from the low-cost sector, particularly those with multiple bases across Europe. It will be interesting to see what new routes develop during the year and in the longer term just how many new airport pairs are added; surely Ryanair cannot add another five hundred or more, can they?
