Top Budget Airlines Europe Edition - Cheapest EU-Based Airlines for 2026
In this AirAdvisor study, we uncover the cheapest airlines in Europe. See where your favourite ranks in the top 10 most affordable EU-based airlines in 2026.
These days, it’s crucial to make your travel budget stretch as far as possible. Finding a cheap flight can mean the difference between being able to take a vacation and staying home. To help you search for budget-friendly flights, we have set out to determine the best low-cost airlines Europe offers. Our research and findings included:
- Over €1 billion in European airline revenue.
- 15 different EU-based carriers.
- 3 airlines did not have published financial data at the time of writing.
- Seat kilometre revenue in 2024 varied from €0.0417 to €0.0855.
With the range of different numbers for revenue average per seat kilometre, commonly referred to as RASK, selecting one of the cheap European airlines on our list can really make a difference in your bottom line.
Top 5 Cheap European Airlines
At AirAdvisor, we compiled an in-depth study on the overall top airlines in Europe, and an important component of that research was affordability, so here are the top 5 cheapest airlines in Europe:
Cheapest Airline in Europe – Wizz Air
According to our research, European airlines don’t come any cheaper than Wizz Air, and by a wide margin. With our lowest RASK of €0.0417, this budget carrier definitely has some affordable fares.
Other than constantly checking for discounted European flights, there are a few things you can do to ensure you get the best deal:
- Subscribe to the Wizz Air Newsletter – Everyone likely already gets a lot of emails, but if you want to secure a sale flight quickly, information is key. This is how the company informs the public first about special offers.
- Be flexible – On the Wizz Air website, you can use the fare finder to identify the cheapest flight for your route. And if you don’t care where you go, select your departure city only and see what affordable options are available and when.
- Act fast – Don’t hesitate when you find a great deal, like a flight from London Gatwick to Malaga for as low as €15.
Given the low average cost per seat kilometre, when you search for your next flight anywhere in Europe, start with Wizz Air and branch out from there.
TAP Air Portugal
From first to second place, we actually make a huge jump to a RASK of €0.0713 with TAP Air Portugal. In 2023, TAP was #9 on the AirAdvisor European airline affordability index, and in 2024, #4, so earning the #2 spot is a very positive step for the carrier.
Although TAP’s RASK decreased year over year, its climb in the ranking is more due to other airlines getting more expensive than anything else.
TAP’s website has useful sections for discount-centric travellers, namely the Best Offers and Promotions ones. These are great for travel inspiration that will fit your budget and is always based on your departure country or city.
#3 – Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)
Completing the top 3 of wallet-friendly EU airlines is SAS. The RASK for this Stockholm-based carrier is €0.075. As Scandinavia’s flag carrier airline and knowing that Denmark, Norway, and Sweden are some of the more expensive countries in Europe, you may be surprised to see SAS so high on the list.
SAS has an easy-to-use low-fare calendar to ensure you get the cheapest price. You can even search from, say, London to all of Scandinavia and see a display of the fare cost to each destination. You can do the same with Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa.
#4 – Norwegian Air Shuttle
Norwegian Air Shuttle had a RASK in 2024 of €0.076, not far off SAS. It is one of the smallest airlines we reviewed, so although they might be cheap, it might be harder to find a convenient route.
On Norwegian’s website, you can select the option to see all the cheapest fares broken down by month and cost from your departure point. This is especially useful when you don’t have a specific idea in mind. Additionally, flights to the Nordic countries tend to be the cheapest.
Another way to make Norwegian affordable if you travel frequently for business is to set up a corporate agreement to secure fixed discounts. Norwegian also offers 3 categories of fares, so you don’t need to pay for anything you don’t need, like cabin bags or advanced seat selection.
Finnair
Finnair is a smaller flag carrier airline based in Helsinki. Given Finnair’s size, it’s quite reasonable that they can’t compete on price with bigwigs like SAS and Wizz Air.
With Finnair, rather than doing a basic conventional search, head to their Special Offers page to see the deals from every city in your home country. These destinations will be predominantly in Finland and Scandinavia because that’s where the discounts are, but if this fits your trip, it’s definitely worth a check.
If you play your cards right, you may find something cheaper than their average revenue per seat kilometre of €0.0797. Luckily, the destinations available aren’t too limited – Finnair offers over 80 of them. The only thing to note is that of the 15 airlines included in our research, we found Finnair to be the least reliable.
If you’ve experienced a flight disruption with Finnair or any other European airline, you can count on us to help you claim compensation for both delayed flights and cancelled flights.
If you’ve experienced a flight disruption with Finnair or any other European airline, you can count on us to help you claim compensation for EU flight delay compensation, and cancelled flight compensation claims.
The Other Cheap European Airlines
As we leave the top 5, we’ll see that the revenue average per seat kilometre doesn’t vary as much and contains some of the “heavy hitters” in the European airline market.
#6 – KLM
On our 2023 cheapest EU airlines list, KLM didn’t even rank, so earning 6th place is quite an achievement. Overall, the SAS RASK in 2024 was €0.0819, which is starting to creep up a bit.
If you’re looking for inspiration for your next cheap trip, head to the KLM home page and scan the options under Destinations and Deals. The routes will typically default to your home country for ease of searching.
KLM’s main hub is at Amsterdam’s Airport Schiphol, which is convenient for connecting flights both in and out of Europe, so it’s good news that their flights are relatively affordable.
Iberia
The Spanish carrier Iberia has fallen drastically in our rankings over the years. In 2023, it was our second-place finisher in the list of the cheapest EU-based airlines. Their RASK for 2024 was €0.0824, whereas in 2022, it was only €0.0582. Think about how long your flight is, and you’ll quickly realize that a nearly 2.5 euro cents increase per kilometre can add up.
Even though an Iberia flight might set you back a little more, this airline may represent better value than Wizz Air if you prioritise price and other factors. For instance, Iberia ranked highly for reliability, airport lounges, professional reviews, and both family and pet travel in our study, much better overall than Wizz.
For the best Iberia deals, consider joining the Iberia Club if you fly frequently. It offers discounts on flights and other perks like priority boarding.
Also #7 – Vueling
Vueling advertises itself as a low-cost carrier, and we don’t necessarily agree. Many European airlines are cheaper in 2026. This Spanish carrier is actually tied for 7th place with Iberia, with the same RASK of €0.0824.
Finding the best deal for your desired route on the Vueling website is easy. Flight prices are displayed in a calendar format if you don’t select a specific date. Then, you can scroll through the months to get the cheapest option.
For example, one of the more popular routes goes from Barcelona El Prat Airport to Amsterdam. Using the price calendar tool allows you to see instantly that this flight is the least expensive from January to March, so that you can plan your trip accordingly.
#9 – Aegean Airlines
As the best overall airline in Europe, according to our extensive research, Aegean Airlines is a good choice for travellers who value comfort, family-friendly travel, and high review scores from other passengers. Although there are a lot of positives with this Greek airline, RASK, and therefore, affordability was not one of them. Theirs was €0.084.
Aegean does offer a well-laid-out fare calendar, so it’s not like you’ll never score a deal on one of their flights. The only caveat is that you can’t select all destinations to get an overview, so you’ll need to know where you want to go.
Ryanair
The quintessential no-frills, low-cost European airline, Ryanair, is generally a means to an end for travellers. Featuring some of the cheapest advertised fares around, why is Ryanair in last place? Ryanair’s business model draws you in with a low initial price and then charges for everything. This includes basic drinks, food, seat selection, and bags.
Plus, the goal is to upsell you on board, like lottery tickets and duty-free items, all amounting to a higher passenger revenue per kilometre. Their number is €0.0843.
That said, Ryanair can really keep your costs down if you’re not one for the extras. Pack light, bring snacks, and don’t let them talk you into anything.
We’re not trying to badmouth this airline – we just want to set realistic expectations. And one thing that Ryanair does well is reliability. They scored the best overall for this category in our study. So, you could do much worse than a basic, cheap fare and arriving on time.
Also #10 – Air France
Air France is certainly a well-known carrier, and is not exactly famous for low fares as the national airline of France. That’s consistent with their RASK of €0.0843, exactly the same as Ryanair, which is definitely unexpected.
The catch with Air France is that their website has no real mechanism to search for deals. You need to know your destination and dates, give or take, to display the prices and flight options. That makes it harder to find a deal, but not impossible.
European Affordability Ranking by AirAdvisor
This table shows the change in position that just 2 years can make. TAP showed the biggest gain in rankings, whereas Iberia and Ryanair dropped 5 places each.
Overall Position for 2026 | Airline | RASK in 2024 | RASK in 2022 | Change in Ranking 2024 vs. 2022 |
1 | Wizz Air | €0.0417 | €0.0298 | – |
2 | TAP Air Portugal | €0.0713 | €0.0758 | +7 |
3 | SAS | €0.075 | €0.073 | +3 |
4 | Norwegian Air Shuttle | €0.076 | €0.0689 | -1 |
5 | Finnair | €0.0797 | €0.0753 | +3 |
6 | KLM | €0.0819 | €0.086 | +5 |
7 | Iberia | €0.0824 | €0.0582 | -5 |
7 | Vueling | €0.0824 | €0.0689 | -4 |
9 | Aegean Airlines | €0.084 | €0.083 | +1 |
10 | Ryanair | €0.0843 | €0.071 | -5 |
10 | Air France | €0.0843 | €0.075 | -3 |
Flying Can Be Affordable
This ranking of the cheapest European airlines should help guide your next flight search. Our research found that overall, Wizz Air, TAP, and SAS were the airlines with the lowest passenger revenue per seat kilometre in 2024, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look around.
Airlines have periodic sales, last-minute deals, and special discounts for events like Black Friday, Christmas, and spring break. So, use this list as one of the tools in your arsenal to ensure you stick to your travel budget.
Grabbing a deal from any of these airlines is a satisfying thing, and hopefully, it will stop you from constantly wondering why flights are so expensive right now. No one wants to give up travel, so go and seek out a bargain!
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FAQs
What are the cheapest European airlines?
Wizz Air is the overall cheapest EU-based airline for 2026, and TAP Air Portugal is the second most affordable. The gap between the revenue average per seat kilometre (RASK) is significant at nearly €0.03, so you should expect to pay more (on average) for any European airline flight than one with Wizz Air.
Which European budget airlines are actually the cheapest?
Wizz Air, Norwegian, and Vueling are the most cost-effective of the carriers in our study that claim to be budget or low-cost European airlines. But other affordable airlines are available, too, like TAP and SAS; they just don’t consider themselves budget airlines.
Which European airline is the most expensive?
Lufthansa earns the title of Europe’s most expensive airline with an average revenue per seat kilometre of €0.0855. This is quite the contrast to the cheapest airline in our data, Wizz Air, which averaged €0.0417.
Author:
Amy Lancelotte
Job/Position: Senior Writer & Content Strategist
Amy Lancelotte is a Senior Content Writer and editorial contributor at AirAdvisor with over seven years of experience producing research-based articles for international audiences. Her work focuses on travel, aviation, and air passenger rights, with an emphasis on factual accuracy, verified data, and clear, reader-first explanations.
