Dieter J. F. Haselsteiner

Europe's Turboprop Airline Landscape Shrinks Further

16 December 2025

The number of European mainland airlines operating passenger turboprop aircraft has declined further in recent weeks. Following several significant developments, the total has fallen from 41 to 39 airlines, highlighting the continued pressure on regional aviation across Europe.

 

Most recent developments 

·       Demise of Eastern Airways (United Kingdom)
British regional airline Eastern Airways cancelled all flights and suspended operations on 27 October 2025 after filing a Notice of Intention to appoint administrators with the UK High Court. All scheduled services were officially cancelled, and passengers were advised not to travel to airports, as no further flights would operate.
Founded in 1997, Eastern Airways had operated regional routes within the United Kingdom for almost 28 years. Persistent financial difficulties ultimately led to the airline’s operational shutdown. 

·       Demise of Blue Islands (UK)
Blue Islands ceased flight operations on 14 November 2025, cancelling all services with immediate effect. The airline suspended operations and subsequently entered liquidation, effectively dissolving the company.
The decision followed ongoing financial challenges and the absence of further financial support from the Government of Jersey. To ensure continuity of essential air services, Loganair stepped in at short notice to maintain key connections between the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey) and the UK mainland. 

·       ACMI contract cancellation between BRA and Austrian Airlines
To serve certain regional routes requiring smaller aircraft than those in its own fleet, Austrian Airlines had been operating ATR 72-600 turboprops under a wet-lease agreement with Braathens Regional Airways (BRA) since the summer of 2024. In the current winter schedule, three ATR aircraft were deployed on Austrian routes.
In August 2025, BRA announced a strategic refocus on ACMI and wet-lease operations for its turboprop fleet, while dissolving its Airbus jet fleet. Shortly thereafter, Braathens International Airways filed for insolvency at the end of September, while Braathens Regional Airways continued operating. 

On Monday, 15 December, Austrian Airlines unexpectedly announced the immediate termination and suspension of its wet-lease cooperation with BRA. Austrian cited the insolvency of Braathens International, stating that BRA currently no longer fully meets Lufthansa Group wet-lease standards, thereby lacking a sufficiently stable basis for continued cooperation. 

 

Current state of Europe’s turboprop operators 

Of the 39 remaining European airlines operating passenger turboprop aircraft: 

  • 24 airlines (62%) operate turboprops exclusively, primarily ATR 42/72 and Bombardier Dash 8-400 aircraft
  • 15 airlines (38%) operate mixed fleets, combining turboprops and jet aircraft

These airlines are based in 21 European countries. According to airfleets.net, they collectively operate around 340 turboprop aircraft, including both active and parked/stored airframes (for further details see table at the end of this article). 


The largest turboprop fleets in Europe are operated by: 

  • Widerøe (Norway): 45 aircraft
  • Binter Canarias (Spain): 26 aircraft
  • Loganair (Scotland): 20 aircraft


Traditional national carriers with turboprops in their fleets have become a minority. Currently, these include TAROM (Romania), Croatia Airlines (Croatia), Olympic Air (a subsidiary of Aegean Airlines, Greece), Luxair (Luxembourg), and Air Serbia (Serbia). Both Luxair and Croatia Airlines are in the process of phasing out their turboprop fleets over the coming years. Once completed, the total number of European turboprop operators is expected to fall further—from 39 to 37 airlines. 

 

ACMI-focused operators and the role of turboprops 

Out of the 39 airlines, seven operate primarily on an ACMI basis and do not conduct scheduled services under their own brand. These include: 

  • NORRA (exclusively for Finnair)
  • Emerald Airlines and Emerald Airlines UK (exclusively for Aer Lingus)
  • BRA
  • Luxwing
  • Mel Air (exclusively for Air Nostrum)
  • Universal Airlines

Turboprop aircraft remain particularly well-suited for serving smaller regional airports with limited infrastructure and for markets with lower passenger demand. As a result, Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes across Europe are very frequently operated using turboprops. 

 

The Austrian–BRA case: a wider structural issue 

Since the phase-out of Austrian Airlines’ own turboprop fleet in 2021, several thinner regional routes had been operated using Embraer 195 jets. In practice, these aircraft proved too large for certain markets.
 From the summer schedule of 2024, BRA filled this gap with three ATR 72 aircraft, providing Austrian with a better-matched capacity solution. 

The sudden termination of this cooperation represents a significant economic setback for BRA. Given the already fragile state of the European turboprop sector, there is understandable concern that this could contribute to yet another insolvency among regional operators. 

 

Conclusion 

Despite the ongoing consolidation and financial pressure, turboprop and regional aircraft remain an essential backbone of European aviation. This is particularly true in remote and peripheral regions, where alternative modes of transport - such as rail, road, or maritime services - either do not exist or fail to offer a competitive or practical alternative. 

While their numbers may be shrinking, turboprop operators continue to play a crucial role in maintaining connectivity across Europe. 

 

Photo Credit: Ronnie Robertson