The Backbone of European Connectivity: Regional Airports, Routes and Airlines

For this month's aviation industry webinar, Deirdre Fulton and John Grant were joined by Petri Vuori (Senior Vice President, Sales and Route Development, Finavia) to discuss the role of regional airports, routes and airlines in shaping European connectivity.

The panel discussed:

• The role regional airports play in their communities 
• How the pandemic changed regional connectivity in Europe 
• The challenges for regional airlines in today's environment 

Below are just some highlights, with the full recording ready to view at the bottom of the page.

European airline market shift 

There have been significant changes in the European airline industry over the past 15 years:

• Fewer airlines: a 25% decrease since 2010
• Market concentration: the top 20 carriers now hold 89% of total capacity
• Increased dominance: larger players increasingly lead the market

Europe’s domestic aviation decline amid global growth

• International growth doubles domestic: Global international capacity for this quarter up 5.7% vs. domestic at 2.5%
• Europe's domestic market contracts: -0.5% decline in Q1 2026, the only region showing negative domestic growth
• Regional leaders emerge:
  • Domestic: Africa leads at 9.6% growth
  • International: Middle East (8.4%) and SW Pacific (8.7%) show the strongest growth

Sustained tourism growth in Northern Europe

• Rovaniemi has experienced over 20% annual growth for three consecutive years
• Similar growth trends have been observed in Tromsø, Norway
• Both Cities are becoming increasingly popular travel destinations in Northern Europe

Watch the full webinar:

There's so much more to discover in the full panel discussion - for more insights, watch below:

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