Wizz Air Tops Europe's Cheapest Airlines for a Third Year as Ryanair Sees Steepest Drop

According to a study by AirAdvisor, Wizz Air tops the ranking of the most affordable European airlines for the third year running, with an average revenue per available seat-kilometre (RASK) of 4.33 euro cents in 2025. At the opposite end is the Norwegian regional company Widerøe, with a figure of 32 euro cents. The difference between the cheapest and the most expensive airline on the continent is 27.67 cents, which, over the average length of a European flight (1,157 km), can mean savings of up to €350 per passenger per flight.

The study covers 23 European airlines, divided into three categories: major international carriers, main national airlines, and regional operators. The RASK figure is total revenue from passenger transport divided by available seat-kilometres. This makes it possible to compare the real cost of a ticket beyond the base price, taking into account baggage, seat selection, and other paid services.

AirAdvisor clarifies that Volotea, Air Europa, and LOT were excluded from the study due to the absence of published financial data.

Among the major carriers, it was Ryanair that showed the sharpest decline in the overall ranking. Its RASK fell from 8.43 cents in 2024 to 5.56 cents in 2025 — savings of more than €33 per passenger. easyJet also noticeably reduced its fare from 7.70 to 5.21 cents. Together, Ryanair, easyJet, and Wizz Air control 84% of the European low-cost market.

Wizz Air, despite its lead, remained the only major budget airline to raise its RASK slightly — from 4.17 to 4.33 cents.

The most expensive among the major carriers turned out to be KLM (8.37 cents), Lufthansa (8.45), Air France (8.50), and British Airways (8.88).

In the national airlines category, first place went to Finnair with a RASK of 6.22 cents — a notable improvement compared with 7.97 cents the year before. It is followed by Norwegian (6.80), TAP Portugal (6.96), and Iberia (7.08). Spain's Vueling sat in the middle of the group with a figure of 7.49 cents. Rounding out the list are Brussels Airlines, Aer Lingus, Swiss, Aegean, and Austrian Airlines.

The regional segment showed the greatest internal spread. Transavia leads with 6.64 cents, followed by Eurowings (7.82) and ITA Airways (8.36). Widerøe, with its 32 cents, operates in a completely different pricing plane — its flights are on average 4.8 times more expensive than Transavia's. The Norwegian company mainly serves domestic routes to remote settlements with low demand and no competition from low-cost carriers.