At the heart of this final work is the European Union's air traffic. This paper presents the historical development of air traffic in Europe and Croatia in chronological order, as well as the people who marked it’s development. There is an exceptionally strong link between air traffic and tourism which is of great importance to the economy of each country. Of course, just like any other form of transportation, air traffic has its advantages, but there are disadvantages as well, such as high costs and pollution to the environment. The European Union guarantees a uniform and high level of passenger safety. Their rights are protected by international conventions and national legislation. The European air traffic management system plays an important role in air transportation. Specifically, through three packages of liberalization, measuring air traffic was regulated and became available to everyone. The European Union faces a marked increase in air traffic, and has established a single European market and the sky. Strategic frameworks such as cost reductions, safety, operational efficiency, environmental impact and protection have led to even greater air traffic development in Europe. Different statistical data on the European Union's air traffic show the busiest airports, the number of passengers and their airworthiness, leading airlines and the most commonly transported products. Air traffic is on a steady rise and it is extremely important to improve the air traffic management system in the European Union.