Stable air traffic: Germany-USA strong despite economic worries!

Stable air traffic: Germany-USA strong despite economic worries!

Transatlantic passenger air traffic continues to show stable trends, as the current analysis by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) reveals. The study, which examines developments between January 2024 and May 2025, shows that despite economic uncertainties, there are no long-term declines in passenger volumes between Germany and the USA. In May 2025, airports in Germany recorded around 500,000 passengers traveling directly to the USA, totaling around ten million passengers during the entire period. DLR reports that ...

The developments in the aviation industry during this time are particularly remarkable, especially when you consider the different market conditions in different countries. Demand shows significant month-to-month fluctuations between the US, Canada and the UK, indicating a complex travel economy. Between the US and Canada, traffic fell by up to seven percent, while between the US and UK there were strong monthly fluctuations with no clear trend. Despite temporary declines at the beginning of 2025, which were two percent compared to the previous year, the overall figures appear stable.

A look at the passenger numbers and prices

In a global context, around 341 million passengers traveled in May 2025, which corresponds to a slight increase of 0.5 percent compared to the previous year. In Germany, air traffic grew by around three percent in the first part of the year, which underlines the robustness of this sector. However, the increase in flight prices is shocking: between Germany and the USA and between Great Britain and the USA, prices rose by six to seven percent. This could partially explain the decline in advance bookings for travel between Germany and the USA and Canada, which overall are around five percent below the previous year's level.

Air traffic in Europe continues to lag far behind 2019 figures. However, according to a forecast by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), passenger numbers are expected to be above pre-crisis levels again in 2025. However, in Germany the numbers are currently 12 percent lower than those in 2019, while countries such as Spain can accept positive developments in this regard. Statista states that...

The main cause of the slow recovery in Germany is the high ticket prices, which are repeatedly cited as an obstacle to passenger numbers. Nevertheless, low-cost airlines are still very popular, and shoppers often take advantage of these offers, which attract over a third of passengers in Europe. The Ryanair Group took a leading position in European air traffic with almost 184 million passengers in 2024.

Future outlook

Nevertheless, the prospect of a positive development is not bleak. Despite the fluctuations, the number of passengers and the return of travelers from the USA show an underlying feeling of hope. DLR highlights that advance bookings from September to the end of the year, although mixed, demonstrate the stability of the market. This suggests that price promotions and seasonal demand could also bring changes in the near future. Despite the uncertainties, air transport remains a dynamic and growing business. The DLR analysis is based on ...