Revised forecast for 2024 now at +3.2% above pre-pandemic ranges — however divergences in efficiency stay important throughout each nationwide markets and particular person airports.
BRUSSELS – European airport commerce physique ACI Europe launched its air site visitors report for March and the primary quarter (Q1) of 2024, together with a revised passenger site visitors forecast for the complete yr 2024.
Passenger site visitors throughout the European airport community elevated by +10.2% in March in comparison with the identical month final year, with the expansion being predominantly pushed by worldwide (+11.7%) quite than home passengers (+5.6%).
As a consequence, passenger site visitors got here very near a full restoration – standing simply ‑1.5% under pre‑pandemic volumes (March 2019). As has been the case for the reason that begin of the yr, worldwide passenger volumes exceeded pre‑pandemic volumes (+2.7%) whereas home site visitors remained under (-13.2%).
The Q1 outcomes are equal to the March information, with passenger site visitors throughout the European community additionally rising by +10.2% in comparison with the identical quarter final yr and standing -1.3% under pre-pandemic volumes (Q1 2019).
Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI Europe commented: “Overall, passenger traffic has kept growing dynamically during the first 3 months of the year. While the Catholic Easter holidays coming earlier helped, demand for air travel generally remained strong against a background of modestly improving macro-economic conditions in the EU and the UK.”
“Looking ahead, we have revised upwards our traffic forecast for the full year and now see passenger volumes in 2024 exceeding pre-pandemic volumes (2019) by +3.2% – instead of +1.4% previously1. This reflects positive prospects for the Summer season, with demand set to remain strong as consumers keep prioritising travel despite much higher air fares. This also reflects sustained but selective capacity expansion from Ultra-Low Cost Carriers, as well as the largest Full Service Carriers finally getting closer to their pre-pandemic capacity levels.”
Jankovec nonetheless cautioned: “The market remains very fragmented in terms of traffic performance, with only 43% of Europe’s airports having recovered their pre-pandemic passenger volumes. And downside risks are ever-present, in particular linked to geopolitics and supply pressures”.
Performace variations throughout sub-regional and nationwide markets
Airports within the EU+ market2 led the passenger development dynamic in March, at +11.5% over the identical month final yr, whereas these within the remainder of Europe3 grew by solely +2.8%.
Within the EU+ market, the best will increase in comparison with March 2023 have been posted by airports within the Czech Republic (+32.6%), Malta (+30%) and Slovenia (+22.7%), whereas the weakest performances got here from these in Sweden (-1.2%), Norway (+0.3%) and Finland (+2.5%).
When in comparison with pre-pandemic ranges (March 2019), the EU+ market stood at -1.4%, with airports predominantly counting on leisure/VFR4 demand largely exceeding their pre-pandemic volumes – together with Malta (+32.5%), Portugal (+23.1%), Greece (+19.6%), Poland (+19.2%) and Spain (+14.5%). Conversely, airports in Slovakia (‑34.9%), Slovenia (-27.8%), Sweden (‑27%), Finland (‑24.4%) and Germany (‑22.9%) remained farthest from a full restoration. Amongst different giant markets, airports in Italy (+8%) posted the perfect outcomes, adopted by these within the UK (‑2%) and France (‑6.4%).
In the remainder of Europe, the perfect performances in comparison with March 2023 got here from airports in Albania (+71.9%), Georgia (+31.3%) and Kosovo (+29.7%), whereas these in Ukraine remained closed for site visitors, and airports in Israel (‑51%) and Russia (‑17.4%) registered important decreases.
When in comparison with pre-pandemic ranges (March 2019), spectacular outcomes have been posted by airports in Albania (+233%), Uzbekistan (+159%), Kazakhstan (+95%) and Armenia (+91%). Meanwhile airports in Türkiye (0%) achieved a full restoration and people in Israel (‑47%) and Russia (‑19%) remained within the crimson.
Performace variations throughout airport classes
Passenger site visitors at the Majors5 expanded by +10.1% in March when in comparison with the identical month final yr however remained at ‑1.8% when in comparison with pre‑pandemic volumes (March 2019):
- London Heathrow (+7.9% vs. Mar 2023 | +3% vs. Mar 2019) remained the busiest European airport, with Istanbul (+2.7% vs. Mar 2023 | +8.2% vs. Mar 2019) coming second and adopted by Paris‑CDG (+6.6% vs. Mar 2023 | ‑9.6% vs. Mar 2019).
- Madrid (+10.8.% vs. Mar 2023 | +8.9% vs. Mar 2019) got here fourth, adopted by Amsterdam Schiphol (+14% vs Mar 2023 | ‑7.3% vs. Mar 2019).
- Rome-FCO’s spectacular development (+28.1% vs. Mar 2023 | +6.5% vs. Mar 2019) boosted the efficiency of the Majors.
Amongst Mega and Large airports6, the best will increase in March got here from Antalya (+32% vs. Mar 2023 |+14.7% vs. Mar 2019), Prague (+31.2% vs. Mar 2023 | -5.2% vs. Mar 2019), Budapest (+21.7% vs. Mar 2023 | +10.5% vs. Mar 2019), Alicante (+21.3% vs. Mar 2023 | +27.3% vs. Mar 2019) and Athens (+20.1% vs. Mar 2023 | +21.5% vs. Mar 2019).
Medium airports7 registered the perfect passenger site visitors efficiency, with a mean enhance of +13.4% in March in contrast with the identical month final yr and standing at +8.1% above their pre-pandemic (March 2019) volumes.
Airports reporting the best will increase in that class included Strasbourg (+184% vs. Mar 2023 | -8.6% vs. Mar 2019), Girona (+105% vs. Mar 2023 | +34.9% vs. Mar 219), Tirana (+71.9% vs. Mar 2023 | +233% vs. Mar 2019), Olbia (+56.5% vs. Mar 2023 | +24.4% vs. Mar 2019) and Kutaisi (+38.8% vs. Mar 2023 | +139% vs. Mar 2019).
As up to now months, bigger Low Cost bases stored outperforming when in comparison with pre-pandemic ranges (March 2019): Memmingen (+76.4%), Beauvais (+72%), Bergamo (+32.5%) and Charleroi (+24.5%).
Conversely, Small airports8 posted the weakest efficiency with a +3.2% enhance in passenger site visitors in March when in comparison with the identical month final yr – and remained -35.7% under their pre-pandemic ranges (March 2019).
Aircraft actions
Amongst the highest 10 European airports for freight site visitors, the perfect performances in March in comparison with the identical month final yr got here from: London Heathrow (+20%), Liège (+15.5%), Madrid (+14.4%), Milan-MXP (+14.2%) and Amsterdam (+12.1%). Aircraft actions elevated by +6.2% in March throughout the European airport community in comparison with the identical interval final yr, and remained -8% under pre‑pandemic ranges (March 2019).
Data by airport teams
Throughout March, airports welcoming greater than 40 million passengers per yr (Majors), airports welcoming between 25 and 40 million passengers (Mega), airports welcoming between 25 and 10 million passengers (Large), airports welcoming between 1 million and 10 million passengers per yr (Medium), and airports welcoming between 1000 and 1 million passengers (Small) reported a mean change in passenger site visitors of –1.8%, +1.2%, -6.5%, +8.1% and -35.7% as in comparison with their pre-pandemic (March 2019) ranges.
The airports that reported the best will increase in passenger site visitors (vs March 2019) are as follows:
- Majors: Madrid MAD (+8.9%), Istanbul IST (+8.2%), Barcelona BCN (+7.9%), Rome FCO (+6.5%), London LHR (+3%).
- Mega: Athens ATH (+21.5%), Lisbon LIS (+19%), Palma de Mallorca PMI (+17.5%), Antalya AYT (+14.7%), Istanbul SAW (+11%).
- Large: Sochi AER (+73.4%), Milan Bergamo BGY (+32.5%), Málaga AGP (+29.5%), Catania CTA (+28%), Alicante ALC (+27.3%).
- Medium: Tirana TIA (+232.3%), Samarkand SKD (+158.9%), Kutaisi KUT (+139%), Astana NQZ (+95.3%), Almaty ALA (+95.3%).
- Small: Babimost IEG (+164.6%), Baia Mare BAY (+144.4%), Batumi BUS (+96.6%) La Gomera GMZ (+88.8%), Castellon CDT (+87.5%)
1 October 2023 Forecast (ACI Europe)
2 EU, EEA, Switzerland and UK.
3 Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
4 Visiting Friends and Relatives
5 Airports with greater than 40 million passengers every year (2023).
6 Airports with 10 to 40 million passengers every year (2023.
7 Airports with 1 to 10 million passengers every year (2023)
8 Airports with lower than 1 million passengers every year (2023).
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his obligations embrace enterprise improvement and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term alternatives.