| Build Year | Age | Number of aircraft | Flights in 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 0 | 812 | 143,326 |
| 2021 | 1 | 786 | 312,504 |
| 2020 | 2 | 719 | 316,766 |
| 2019 | 3 | 1,190 | 526,072 |
| 2018 | 4 | 1,207 | 587,450 |
| 2017 | 5 | 1,077 | 523,181 |
| 2016 | 6 | 1,037 | 583,602 |
| 2015 | 7 | 973 | 437,116 |
| 2014 | 8 | 1,037 | 349,573 |
| 2013 | 9 | 884 | 308,068 |
| 2012 | 10 | 876 | 383,691 |
| 2011 | 11 | 807 | 427,566 |
| 2010 | 12 | 889 | 405,560 |
| 2009 | 13 | 869 | 505,334 |
| 2008 | 14 | 970 | 465,372 |
| 2007 | 15 | 896 | 396,296 |
| 2006 | 16 | 721 | 300,833 |
| 2005 | 17 | 511 | 194,098 |
| 2004 | 18 | 405 | 147,659 |
| 2003 | 19 | 395 | 147,586 |
| 2002 | 20 | 439 | 158,016 |
| 2001 | 21 | 548 | 175,071 |
| 2000 | 22 | 519 | 172,889 |
| 1999 | 23 | 479 | 152,486 |
| 1998 | 24 | 411 | 111,587 |
| 1997 | 25 | 256 | 79,570 |
| 1996 | 26 | 248 | 79,072 |
| 1995 | 27 | 155 | 48,231 |
| 1994 | 28 | 192 | 62,915 |
| 1993 | 29 | 204 | 60,005 |
| 1992 | 30 | 245 | 55,084 |
| 1991 | 31 | 187 | 52,850 |
| 1990 | 32 | 160 | 39,327 |
| 1989 | 33 | 135 | 29,426 |
| 1988 | 34 | 104 | 18,502 |
| 1987 | 35 | 68 | 14,082 |
| 1986 | 36 | 74 | 12,643 |
| 1985 | 37 | 49 | 6,648 |
| 1984 | 38 | 68 | 5,123 |
| 1983 | 39 | 34 | 3,818 |
| 1982 | 40 | 92 | 5,410 |
| before 1982 | > 40 | 894 | 41,246 |
| unknown | unknown | 301 | 243,333 |
| Grand Total | NA | 22,923 | 9,088,987 |
| Source: EUROCONTROL Network Manager flight plans and PRISME fleet data, March 2023 | |||
26 Fleet age
26.1 EUROCONTROL recommended values
The sections below refer to the age of the aircraft operating IFR flights in Europe.
26.1.1 Age, number of aircraft and number of flights according to the aircraft build year
The information presented in Table 26.1 is derived from flight plans submitted to the EUROCONTROL Network Manager (NM) for flights in 2022. These aircraft were therefore active in European airspace at some point during that year. The information was analysed using the EUROCONTROL PRISME fleet database to derive the aircraft ages.
Since the numbers are based on flight plans, they exclude aircraft which do not fly in controlled airspace and therefore do not submit flight plans to the NM. The 301 aircraft whose age was unknown were aircraft which are not recorded in the PRISME database. These are mostly privately owned aircraft or aircraft based outside Europe, together with some smaller aircraft not flying regularly in controlled airspace and some new aircraft which do not feature in the database.
26.1.2 Average aircraft age per flight (EU27+EFTA1)
Figure 26.1 shows the average aircraft age in years by EUROCONTROL market segment[1] for the aircraft operating in 2022.
Note
EUROCONTROL market segments were updated in 2022 and saw the “Traditional Scheduled” segment split into “Mainline” and “Regional” according to EUROCONTROL Market Segment Rules.[1]
Low-cost carriers have the youngest fleet on average, at 9.1 years in 2022, while charter and all-cargo have much older fleets, at 22 years for all-cargo and 15.4 years for charter flights in 2022. The increase in market share of all-cargo and business aviation in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, has pushed the average age of the overall fleet up to 11.6 years in 2022.
26.1.3 Commercial aircraft fleet by age of aircraft
Figure 26.2 shows the commercial aircraft fleet size by age of aircraft.
EUROSTAT publishes annual statistics on commercial aircraft fleet by age of aircraft and country of operator/country of registration.
26.2 When to use the inputs?
Depending on the market, an aircraft can remain in service for about 30 years. While an aircraft follows a specific maintenance cycle, its performance can degrade over time due to engine and aerodynamic deterioration, leading to additional CO2 emissions. Fleet renewal helps reduce aviation’s environmental impact as newer aircraft tend to be more fuel efficient and quieter, therefore the average age of the European fleet is a good indicator of its environmental performance.
26.4 References
[1]
EUROCONTROL, “EUROCONTROL Market Segment Update 2022,” May 2022 [Online]. Available: https://www.eurocontrol.int/publication/market-segment-rules
[2]
EUROCONTROL STATFOR, “STATFOR Interactive Dashboard.” [Online]. Available: https://www.eurocontrol.int/dashboard/statfor-interactive-dashboard
[3]
EUROSTAT, “Commercial aircraft fleet by age of aircraft and country of operator.” Jan. 2023 [Online]. Available: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/AVIA_EQ_ARC_AGE/default/table?lang=en&category=avia.avia_eq
European Free Trade Association whose Member States comprise Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland↩︎