Q2 2026

Airfares on the top European route pairs

Check-in with the latest airfare analysis for Europe

European airfares key findings

  • Airline capacity has fallen on some of Europe's largest transatlantic routes, pushing fares up in both directions - specifically on London - New York and Paris - New York.
  • The largest domestic airfare change was on Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen (SAW) - Izmir Adnan Menderes (ADB), down ~19% outbound.
  • Internationally, the largest airfare change was on Stockholm Arlanda (ARN) - Copenhagen Kastrup (CPH), where fares increased by 28% outbound.
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OAG | Top 10 Western Europe Routes & Fares — Q2 2025 vs Q2 2026
⚡ Capacity ahead of pricing

Capacity growth has outpaced pricing on several routes, putting downward pressure on fares. Overall seat capacity increased on 7 of the 10 routes, with the largest increases on Berlin–Frankfurt (+15%), Bergen–Oslo (+9%), and Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen–Izmir (+9%). Despite this, outbound fares fell on many routes, with the steepest declines on Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen–Izmir (-19%) and Antalya–Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (-16%).

⚠ Turkish fare declines

Domestic Turkish routes are experiencing the strongest fare declines despite capacity growth. The three Turkish domestic markets (AYT–SAW, ADB–SAW and AYT–IST) all saw flat or increased capacity while outbound fares fell by 4–19%, suggesting heightened competition and/or weaker pricing power. Antalya–Sabiha Gökçen recorded the largest fare reduction in both directions (-16%).

✓ Competition and fares

Increased competition does not always result in lower fares. Carrier numbers increased on routes such as Madrid–Palma (3→4 carriers), Berlin–Frankfurt (2→3) and Izmir–Istanbul (2→3). However, Berlin–Frankfurt experienced higher fares (+2% outbound, +15% inbound) despite both greater capacity and an additional airline, indicating particularly strong underlying demand.

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Top 10 Western Europe Domestic Routes
Ranked by Q2 2026 total seat capacity · one-way economy fares (USD, avg. weighted by capacity)
Route Seat Capacity Carriers Outbound Fare (USD) Inbound Fare (USD)
#⇅ Code⇅ Route Name⇅ 2026 Seats⇅ 2025 Seats⇅ Chg %⇅ 2026⇅ 2025⇅ OB 2026⇅ OB 2025⇅ OB Chg⇅ IB 2026⇅ IB 2025⇅ IB Chg⇅
Outbound Fare Comparison — Q2 2025 vs Q2 2026
Average weighted one-way economy fare (USD). Domestic routes ranked by Q2 2026 capacity.
Q2 2025
Q2 2026
Inbound Fare Comparison — Q2 2025 vs Q2 2026
Average weighted one-way economy fare (USD). Domestic routes ranked by Q2 2026 capacity.
Q2 2025
Q2 2026

Route Commentary — Domestic

⚠ Transatlantic squeeze

Capacity has fallen across two of Europe's largest transatlantic routes this quarter: London–New York and Paris–New York. This has pushed fares up in both directions by between 5–8% across both routes.

✓ Spain dominates

Spain remains one of Europe's most popular markets, with 5 of the top 10 international routes starting or ending there. Pricing is mixed, however, with a drop on Lisbon–Madrid in both directions by around 11%, and a similar fall on Barcelona–Rome. Capacity on both of these routes is fairly static.

⚡ Scandinavian surge

Scandinavia's second largest international route between Copenhagen and Stockholm is seeing significant fare inflation this quarter: up by 28% outbound and 11% inbound, against a background of capacity growth. These increases signal high demand on this route.

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Top 10 Western Europe International Routes
Ranked by Q2 2026 total seat capacity · one-way economy fares (USD, avg. weighted by capacity)
Route Seat Capacity Carriers Outbound Fare (USD) Inbound Fare (USD)
#⇅ Code⇅ Route Name⇅ 2026 Seats⇅ 2025 Seats⇅ Chg %⇅ 2026⇅ 2025⇅ OB 2026⇅ OB 2025⇅ OB Chg⇅ IB 2026⇅ IB 2025⇅ IB Chg⇅
Outbound Fare Comparison — Q2 2025 vs Q2 2026
Average weighted one-way economy fare (USD). International routes ranked by Q2 2026 capacity.
Q2 2025
Q2 2026
Inbound Fare Comparison — Q2 2025 vs Q2 2026
Average weighted one-way economy fare (USD). International routes ranked by Q2 2026 capacity.
Q2 2025
Q2 2026

Route Commentary — International

About European airfares quarterly data 

Every quarter discover data on each one-way route with a year-on-year comparison (eg: Q2 2026 vs Q2 2025) for airline total capacity, number of airlines operating on the route, and lowest average one-way economy airfares (USD) for both inbound and outbound.

OAG's Airfare Analytics provides route-level fare data and trend analysis across domestic and international markets. 

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