Europe's airlines: Who's growing fastest? Look at fleet orders

According to the CAPA Fleet Database, the 2,379 aircraft orders currently outstanding with European airlines represent 30% of the 7,824 aircraft currently in service (as at 30-Apr-2018). However, these orders are concentrated among relatively few airlines. Among the 72 airlines with outstanding orders (out of a total of more than 500), the number of orders is equivalent to 49% of their combined fleet in service.

The European airline with the largest number of orders is Wizz Air, with 273 aircraft still to be delivered. Wizz Air also ranks at the top of the list of orders expressed as a percentage of its existing fleet, with a figure of 284%. Ranking European airlines with outstanding orders in this way, rather than by absolute numbers, reveals those with strong ambitions relative to their current size.

Those placed high up the ranking of orders as a percentage of current fleet include some quite large operators, such as Wizz Air, Norwegian, Pegasus Airlines, S7 Airlines and Air Europa, and some smaller ones such as Primera Air, Red Wings, Travel Service, La Compagnie and Germania.