27.8 million passengers fly with budget airlines

© ANP / Venema Media
The number of passengers flying with budget airlines increased to 27.8 million in 2024, and a growing percentage of all airline passengers use them. Spain and the United Kingdom are the most popular destinations among passengers of budget airlines. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this based on new figures compiled for its aviation timeline, which provides an overview (in Dutch) of the development of the Dutch aviation sector over the years.
Budget airlines have particular ways of keeping their fares as low as possible. Passengers have to pay extra fees for services such as seat reservations, refreshments, or to take (extra) luggage. They also fly with the same model of aircraft, and use these aircraft intensively.

Number of budget airline passengers tripled in 20 years to 2024

In 2024, 27.8 million passengers travelled to or from an airport in the Netherlands with a budget airline. That was three times as many as in 2004 (9.3 million passengers). Traditional airlines carried 48.4 million passengers in 2024, up from 35.2 million in 2004.

Budget airlines thus account for an increasing share of all airline passengers. In 2004, 1 in 5 passengers flew with a low-cost carrier, compared to 2 in 5 in 2024.

 

Regional airports growing but Schiphol remains largest

Budget airlines often fly into smaller airports, where airport and handling fees are lower. In the Netherlands, too, the rise of budget airlines has led to increased activity at smaller airports such as Eindhoven, Rotterdam, Maastricht and Groningen. The number of passengers at these airports quadrupled between 2004 and 2024. Of all passengers using smaller airports in the Netherlands in 2024, 98 percent were using a budget airline.

But despite the growth in budget passengers at airports such as Eindhoven, Rotterdam, Maastricht and Groningen, most budget airline passengers still travel via Schiphol. In 2024, 18.6 million landed or departed at or from Schiphol, compared to 9.2 million at the other four airports in the Netherlands.

 

Spain and UK most popular destinations among budget airline passengers

In 2024, 29 percent of budget airline passengers flew to or from Spain. The United Kingdom was in second place, and Italy in third place. Travellers flying with traditional carriers flew mainly to and from the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany in 2024.