Bad news for travellers and good news for airline finance directors. The difficulties inherent in purchasing spare parts for aircraft (engines, for example) and delays in the delivery of equipment make air fares are unlikely to fall significantly in Europe.
With a very conservative approach to increasing their capacity, most airlines should see their financial results improve compared with previous years. This is because it is to be expected that thehe average ticket price in Europe remains high throughout the rest of the year estimates OAG. And with a slight drop in the price of a barrel of crude oil, it's a win-win situation for airlines!
Fares soar on Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines and Air France
OAG notes that Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa are the two airlines that have significantly reduced their growth.. Their capacities will fall by 18.7% and 6.1% respectively. This translates into the biggest increases in ticket prices between the first quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of 2025. Turkish fares up almost 25%, Lufthansa flirts with 17%. Turkish Airlines has been particularly hard hit by aircraft maintenance and repair problems. According to the latest fleet data compiled by OAG, 78 aircraft are currently inactive - representing 17% of the total fleet.
Air France ranks third for fare increases, at +7.7% from one quarter to the next. And this despite the fact that the French carrier increased its capacity by 6.3%!
Of the ten airlines analysed by OAG, two reported a fall in capacity, while only one - Pegasus - reported a double-digit increase. In fact, low-cost airlines remain the most dynamic. Over the first quarter, easyJet recorded an 8.4% increase in seat capacity, while Ryanair flirted with a 7% increase in capacity. As a result, their tariffs fell by 2.96% and 5.43% respectively. On the other hand, the carrier Pegasus (Turkey) did not experience any price erosion. Its prices remained stable between the first quarters of 2024 and 2025, with a very slight fall of 0.1%.
| Airlines | Capacity growth between Q1 2024 and 2025 | Rate changes between the 1st quarter of 2024 and 2025 |
| Turkish Airlines | -18,7% | +24,76% |
| Lufthansa | -6,1% | +16,91% |
| Iberia | +0,2% | +6,63% |
| KLM | +1,2% | +5,05% |
| British Airways | +2,0% | +4,0% |
| Vueling | +4,4% | +1,85% |
| Air France | +6,3% | +7,68% |
| Ryanair | +6,9% | -5,43% |
| easyJet | +8,4% | -2,96% |
| Pegasus | +17,0% | -0,08% |
(Source: OAG)
