New data from Eurocontrol, an intergovernmental agency for air-navigation safety, shows that European low-cost carriers carried 31% of the total passengers for the European market in May – up 2% on the same period last year.
Passenger traffic on flag carriers in the region have dropped. Traffic at Air France-KLM, Iberia, and Lufthansa, dropped below 50% from nearly 52% a year ago. Eurocontrol figures show low-cost carriers flew 0.8% fewer flights in Europe compared with a 7% decline for flag carriers during the first five months of the year.
As austerity measures bite around the world, low-cost carriers are reaping the benefits while flag carriers cut capacity and trim expansion plans in the face of intense competition and high fuel costs.
Low-costs winning in Europe
