Contrary to expectations, the busiest air routes in Europe are not connecting any of the continents’ business capitals. They are not connecting Barcelona and Bilbao, as one may suspect, but rather Barcelona and another Mediterranean destination – Palma de Mallorca. With up to 23 flights on both weekdays, allowing for a flight every 45 minutes, three of Spain’s largest carriers – Vueling, Ryanair, and Air Europa – compete with one another for traffic.
A Question of Demand Confirmed by Supply
In 2025, 2,100,000 passengers used the busiest air route in Europe, connecting Barcelona with Palma de Mallorca, making it the busiest domestic or international route on the continent, according to IATA. OAG data, which ranks airports by seat capacity rather than passenger numbers, agrees with that assessment, listing the route as 10th busiest in the world and first in Europe.
With 2,955,696 seats, the route claimed the top spot with a significant margin, beating the second one by almost 10%, and the one connecting Antalya with Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen, which recorded 2,818,540 seats, came in second, followed by the route connecting Madrid with Palma de Mallorca, with 2,453,392 seats. The busiest air routes in Europe are largely concentrated in Turkey, connecting different Turkish cities with one another or with European destinations, reflecting both the popularity of Turkish domestic tourism and the importance of the domestic routes connecting the capital with the country’s other regions.
Even though Vueling, which has its largest hub in Barcelona-El Prat, is the only major carrier operating flights in the region, it has to compete with Ryanair and Air Europa, both of which have significant presence there as well. Combined with the consistently high demand, it creates intense competition.
Domestic Connectivity Is a Big Factor
While tourism is a significant part of the reason why the air route is so busy, it is not the sole reason. The 75-km route across the Mediterranean Sea connects the mainland with the Balearic Islands, which are popular both with tourists and locals who reside on the islands. Even though the sea connection is an option, it takes 7 to 8 hours to get from one bank to the other overnight, which is why many locals rely on the airline connection, says El Pais.
Starting from July 2018, the residents of the Balearic islands can purchase discounted tickets to the mainland, with a 75% discount (50% before) available to anyone who wishes to depart after 7 a.m. and fly back after 7 p.m., with the discounts being introduced as a part of the royal decree on the special status of the Balearic islands and the Canary islands, which recognized their status as separate from the mainland. As such, besides the tourism-related demand for flights, the residents of these islands use them for both personal and business reasons.
In 2025, Spain hit a record-breaking number of 97 million international tourists, with the number growing annually. The 33 800 000 passengers were transported via airports, where Palma de Mallorca became the third busiest airport, behind Madrid and Barcelona. However, the price paid for the convenience was significant, with the level of living in Barcelona, for example, being 38% higher than the national average, according to the Kelisto.es index. For comparison, the level of living in Palma de Mallorca is 24% higher than the national average. With the air route between the two being the busiest in Europe, with a flight only taking 55 minutes, the discrepancy in the level of living could be explained by the demand for flights.
Europe Lags Behind Global Giants
While it has dominated Europe’s busiest air routes, the connection between Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca is only in the 44th position globally. Jeju to Seoul Gimpo, for example, is the busiest route, with 13 300 000 passengers traveling between the Korean cities using it in 2025, or 6.3 times more than the busiest air route in Europe, according to IATA. The busiest routes in other continents are also heavily linked to domestic tourism, with Latin America’s busiest route, Bogota to Medellin, having 3,509,946 passengers, in Africa being Cape Town to Johannesburg with 3,446,569, and in North America being New York to LA with 2,298,513 – all of which are higher than the busiest route in Europe, with the exception of the last one, which is only 2% higher. Additionally, within Europe, the fastest-growing air route in 2025, Stockholm to Malmo, has only 271,031 passengers, with 85% of them having used it compared to 2024. The number of passengers that is used to illustrate the example shows that the traffic in Europe is significantly lower than that in other continents, particularly Asia.
