Cyprus leads European rankings for air travel expenditure and passenger share

Eurostat data for 2025 indicates that air transport accounts for 2.12% of the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) basket in Cyprus, the highest proportion among European countries monitored. This coefficient, equating to €2.12 per €100 of consumer spending, surpasses levels recorded in Iceland, Greece, Norway, France, and Malta. While this figure serves as a weighting factor rather than a direct household budget percentage, it highlights the significant role of aviation in the local consumer economy.

Separately, 2024 Eurostat statistics on transport modes reveal that air travel accounted for 25.3% of total passenger-kilometers in Cyprus, the third-highest share in the EU after Croatia (45.6%) and Bulgaria (30.3%). Across the European Union, the automobile remained the primary transport mode at 69.2% of the 6.13 trillion total passenger-kilometers, while air travel represented 15.8% of the EU total, marking a one-percentage-point annual increase. Rail transport saw a gradual rise to 7.5%, while bus and trolley travel decreased slightly to 7.3%. Sea transport remained at 0.4%.