Civil aviation in the European Federation
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Civil aviation in the European Federation has been limited since 2023 to flights between airports in held territory. Before 2020 the Federation had the busiest air network in the world after the United States, centred on Schiphol in Amsterdam and on Frankfurt. Long-haul services ended between 2021 and 2023, with the spread of the infestation, the outbreak of war with the United States in 2022 and the appearance of flying parasite organisms over Europe in 2023. As of 2028 passenger numbers are about a sixth of those of 2019, and most flights operate at night.
Before 2020
Commercial aviation in Europe began after the First World War, and the national airlines of most member states were founded in the 1920s and 1930s. Under the Federation they kept their national identities and were regulated by a federal aviation authority. Transatlantic flights to the United States were restricted throughout the Kaltkrieg to a small number of routes and carriers on each side, and most of the Federation's long-haul traffic was to Asia, Africa, South America and its own territories in North America. In 2019 the Federation's airports handled about 1.1 billion passengers. Most of the airliners flown by the Federation's airlines were built by H&A Aerospace and by a consortium of French, German and British manufacturers at Toulouse.
The busiest airports in 2019 were:
| Airport | City | Passengers (2019) |
|---|---|---|
| Schiphol | Amsterdam | 76 million |
| Heathrow | London | 74 million |
| Paris-Roissy | Paris | 70 million |
| Frankfurt Main | Frankfurt | 64 million |
| Madrid-Barajas | Madrid | 58 million |
| Munich-Erding | Munich | 46 million |
| Rome-Fiumicino | Rome | 41 million |
| Prague-Ruzyně | Prague | 19 million |
Since 2020
Flights to West Africa and South America were reduced from 2021 and ended by 2022, as the regions became infested and their airports closed. Transatlantic services ended in 2022 with the outbreak of the Second World War, and the last scheduled flights to Asia ended in 2023. Rising prices of jet fuel, most of which was refined from imported oil, reduced the number of flights within Europe from 2021. Jet fuel has been rationed by the federal aviation authority since 2022, and allocated first to military and government flights.
In 2023 Yelloweyes and other flying organisms appeared over Europe, and attacked aircraft at low altitude during take-off and landing. Civil flights have since been restricted to routes between airports in held territory, on which the approaches and departure paths are covered by air-defence guns. Aircraft take off and land on steep paths that keep them below about 1,000 m for as short a time as possible. Most scheduled flights have been moved to night hours, when Yelloweyes are least active. Three airliners were brought down by flying organisms on approach to airports in southern Europe in 2023, with about 450 dead in all, and most airports in the south of the Federation were closed to civil traffic by the end of that year.
As of 2028 about 180 million passengers a year use the Federation's airports, and most capacity at Schiphol and Frankfurt is used by the joint H&A-EF command. Most freight between held regions travels by rail.
The routes that remain link the main cities of held territory: Amsterdam, London, Frankfurt, Munich, Brussels, Prague and the Scandinavian capitals. Fares are regulated, and seats are allocated first to government, H&A and medical travel. Several national airlines merged between 2023 and 2026, and as of 2028 most scheduled services are flown by four carriers.