Most low‑volume European short‑haul routes are served by a single airline

According to the European Regions Airline Association, 79% of European short‑haul routes with fewer than 50,000 seats per year are operated by only one carrier.

The analysis covered 6,200 routes under 1,000 nautical miles, of which 2,600 have fewer than 50,000 annual seats and account for just 6% of scheduled seats; more than 2,000 of these smallest routes have no second airline providing redundancy, and 91% of routes withdrawn in 2025 were among the lowest‑volume routes with fewer than 20,000 seats the previous year. For routes below 150,000 seats, 73% have a single operator, while for routes above that threshold the share drops to 30%.