In 2023, Bulgaria ranked second in the European Union in terms of air passenger kilometers, with a share of 29.0% of total transport services. Croatia led the ranking with 43.5%, while Cyprus followed in third place with 27.4%, according to Eurostat data.
Across the EU, cars remained the dominant mode of passenger transport, accounting for 70.6% of all passenger kilometers, though this represented a decline of 1.8 percentage points compared to 2022. Air transport came next, representing 14.7% of total passenger kilometers, marking an increase of 1.6 percentage points. Buses, coaches, and trolleybuses followed with a 7.2% share, slightly down by 0.2 points. Rail transport accounted for 7.1% of passenger kilometers, up 0.3 points, while maritime transport remained stable at 0.4%.
Looking at individual countries, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Finland recorded the highest reliance on road transport, with 85.7%, 77.1%, and 76.4% of total passenger kilometers, respectively. Malta led in bus, coach, and trolleybus travel at 15.8%, closely followed by Ireland at 15.4% and Estonia at 12.0%. Rail transport played a more significant role in the Netherlands (10.9%), Austria (10.5%), and France (9.1%). Maritime passenger transport was most notable in Croatia (2.4%), followed by Estonia (2.3%) and Finland (2.1%).
This data illustrates the continued importance of air travel in Bulgaria compared to other EU countries, as well as the broader distribution of passenger transport modes across Europe.