The 2026 Winter Olympics have captured the world’s attention over the past several weeks. Athletes and spectators have traveled from across the globe to celebrate sport at its highest level. With events spread across Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Northern Italy has come alive with competition, culture, and excited fans from around the world.
The Olympics truly bring the world together, and the data proves it. Using Aireon’s global Aireon INSIGHTS Flight Events product, Aireon has tracked a remarkable surge in international aviation activity since the start of 2026 through the Olympic Games.
Over the past two months, airports across the Milan-Cortina region have welcomed aircraft from more than 800 different locations from over 100 countries, a more than 65% increase compared to the same period in 2025. During the two-week games, daily traffic between the Northern Italy airports surged by almost 50% compared to the previous month.
While single-day events like the Super Bowl tend to drive sharp, short-lived spikes in traffic, Aireon’s data shows a more sustained pattern for the Olympics, with approximately a 10% average increase in daily flight traffic across the region throughout February compared to January.
In terms of traffic composition, 65% of flights are commercial passenger services, while 30% consist of VIP, business aviation, general aviation, and helicopter operations. The remaining 5% is made up of other traffic, including cargo and military flights.
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