Nearly 2 billion passengers welcomed by Europe’s airports in 2022. Passenger visitors doubling in comparison with 2021, however nonetheless -21% beneath pre-pandemic (2019) ranges. Only 27% of Europe’s airports recovered their pre-pandemic (2019) passenger volumes in 2022 – with most of them (90%) being smaller & regional airports.
BRUSSELS – The Full Year 2022 & December 2022 visitors report launched by ACI Europe exhibits the airport trade has lastly turned the nook on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Passenger visitors throughout the European airport community practically doubled (+98%) in 2022 in comparison with the earlier yr, reaching 1.94 billion passengers. However, that was nonetheless -21% beneath pre-pandemic (2019) volumes, with simply 27% of Europe’s airports having totally recovered their 2019 passenger visitors stage.
Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI Esurope mentioned: “The surge in passenger traffic last year has been phenomenal. Kicking off in early Spring when most travel restrictions were finally lifted, it boomed over the Summer and remained resilient afterwards. All of this despite geopolitical shocks, deteriorating macro-economics, fast-rising air fares and COVID still being with us. If anything, 2022 has been the year in which we finally learned how to live and travel with COVID-19.”
Jankovec nevertheless put this in perspective: “This is not yet a full recovery. Europe’s airports were still short 500 million passengers in 2022 compared to where they stood before the pandemic hit. And there were significant gaps in traffic performance between hubs and smaller regional airports as well as across national markets”.
Looking forward, he was cautiously optimistic: “There is still a lot of uncertainty about 2023, not least because of geopolitical tensions and the fact there is no end in sight for the war in Ukraine. But the traffic outlook is getting better thanks to demand headwinds easing somewhat with the reopening of China, recession fears for Europe subsiding and inflation softening. This should help in reducing the current traffic gaps and getting more airports closer to their pre-pandemic volumes. However, supply pressures are likely to remain significant given the structural capacity reductions made by most airlines during the pandemic, their strong focus on increasing yields through higher air fares rather than market share, aircraft delivery delays and labour shortages still being an issue in some markets.”
2022 EU+ market rebound
Airports within the EU+ market1 noticed their passenger visitors growing by +122% in 2022 in comparison with the earlier yr. Such file year-on-year progress attests to the great worth for individuals of having the ability to reconnect and journey throughout Europe and past. The rebound was particularly spectacular for airports in international locations had been journey restrictions had been most stringent all through 2021, such because the UK (+249%), Ireland (+235%) and Finland (+187%).
Meanwhile, the rise in passenger visitors at airports in the remainder of Europe2 was comparatively reasonable at +26%. This was because of the lesser impression of the pandemic on air visitors in 2021 as governments in these international locations usually avoided imposing the type of journey restrictions affecting the EU+ market. This was additionally because of the impression of the conflict in Ukraine, with Ukrainian airports (-88.3%) shedding all business air visitors as of February 2022 and Russian airports (-10.4%) shedding air visitors to/from the EU+ market particularly.
Multi-speed restoration throughout nationwide markets
When in comparison with pre-pandemic (2019) volumes, 2022 noticed the hole in passenger visitors between the EU+ market and the remainder of Europe closing, with each markets standing at -21%3.
Still, there have been big variations within the efficiency of nationwide markets throughout Europe by way of their restoration to pre-pandemic (2019) stage. These variations mirror a mixture of components – together with the continued predominance of leisure/VFR demand boosting airports in tourist-oriented international locations, focused Low Cost Carriers’ (LCCs) growth, elevated airport competitors in addition to the impression of previous journey restrictions lingering and the conflict in Ukraine.
In the EU+ bloc, airports in Greece (-1.9%), Portugal (-5.8%) and Luxembourg (-6.9%) got here closest to a full restoration in passenger visitors.
Amongst bigger EU+ markets, airports in Spain (-11.4%) posted the very best outcomes, adopted by these in Italy (-17.9%) and France (-18.8%) – whereas these within the UK (-24.8%) and particularly Germany (-34.9%) the place LCCs retrenched underperformed the EU+ common.
The weakest efficiency got here from airports in Slovenia (-43.6%), Finland (-40.6%) and Slovakia (-38.6%).
In the remainder of Europe, LCC growth boosted passenger visitors at airports in Albania (+55.7%), Kosovo (+26.1%) and Bosnia & Herzegovina (+20.4%) nicely above full restoration ranges.
Airports in Kazakhstan (+15.6%) and Armenia (+13.2%) benefitted from an inflow of visitors from Russia (-24.9%). Meanwhile airports in Serbia (-8.9%) got here comparatively near a full restoration – adopted by these in Turkey (-12.9%).
Top5 league shifting again
Whereas in 2021 Turkish and Russian airports dominated the Majors (5 busiest European airports)4, final yr noticed EU+ hubs largely restoring their place within the high league. Istanbul remained the busiest European airport in 2022, welcoming 64.3 million passengers and nearly recovering its pre-pandemic (2019) visitors quantity (-6.2%). London Heathrow (61.6 million passengers|-23.8% vs. 2019) got here in second place. However, the British hub has recovered its place because the busiest European airport as of November 2022. Paris-CDG (57.5 million passengers |-24.5% vs. 2019) held the third place, adopted by Amsterdam-Schiphol (52.5 million passengers |-26.8% vs. 2019). Madrid (50.6 million passengers |-18% vs. 2019) closed the highest 5 league, surpassing Frankfurt (48.9 million passengers | -30.7% vs. 2019).
Overall, passenger visitors on the Majors elevated by +114% in 2022 in comparison with the earlier yr – however remained -22.6% beneath pre-pandemic (2019) ranges. This was largely because of the continuation of journey restrictions by some Asian international locations, and community airways nonetheless limiting capability deployment.
Leisure demand and LCCs driving airport efficiency
Amongst different giant airports & secondary hubs, the very best 2022 passenger visitors performances (in comparison with pre-pandemic (2019) ranges) got here from airports relying predominantly on leisure demand with vital LCC exercise and restricted or no publicity to Asia. These included: Palma de Mallorca (-3.9%), Paris-Orly (- 8.4%), Lisbon (-9.3%), Athens (-11.2%), Antalya & Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen (-13.2%) and Dublin (-14.7%).
The similar dynamics additionally resulted in smaller & regional airports5 considerably outperforming the European common and coming closest to a full restoration – with their 2022 passenger visitors at -12% in comparison with pre-pandemic (2019) ranges. Amongst Europe’s airports having totally recovered their 2019 volumes, 90% had been smaller & regional airports.
The finest performing regional airports included: Trapani and Oradea (+117%), Perugia (+68.5%), Zadar (+36.8%), Zaragoza (+34.4%), Santorini (+25.6%), Funchal (+20.8%), Memmingen (+15.9%), Chania (+11.3%) – together with the LCC strongholds of Beauvais (+15.7%) and Charleroi (+0.6%) and Bergamo (-5.1%).
Aircraft actions in Europe had been up by +57% in 2022 in comparison with the earlier yr, however nonetheless -19% beneath pre-pandemic (2019) ranges.
Data by airport teams
During 2022, airports welcoming greater than 25 million passengers per yr (Group 1), airports welcoming between 10 and 25 million passengers (Group 2), airports welcoming between 5 and 10 million passengers (Group 3) and airports welcoming lower than 5 million passengers per yr (Group 4) reported a median adjustment of -22.6%, -23.6%, -14.4% and -11.9%, as in comparison with pre-pandemic visitors ranges (2019). The airports that reported the very best efficiency in passenger visitors for Full Year 2022 (in comparison with Full Year 2019) are as follows:
- Group 1: Palma de Mallorca (‑3.9%), Istanbul IST (‑6.2%), Paris ORY (‑8.4%), Lisbon (-9.3%) and Athens (-11.2%).
- Group 2: Naples (+0.5%), Catania (‑1.2%), Tenerife South (‑3.3%), Porto (-3.6%) and Bergamo (-5.1%).
- Group 3: Almaty (+15.6%), Rhodes (+6.5%), Heraklion (+1.7%), Palermo (+1.4%) and Lanzarote (+0.7%).
- Group 4: Tirana (+55.7%), Prishtina (+26.1%), Santorini (+25.6%), Funchal (+20.8%) and Sarajevo (+20.4%).
1 EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland
2 Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
3 2021 passenger visitors (vs. 2019): EU+ airports: -65% | airports in the remainder of Europe: -34%
4 In 2021, the highest 5 busiest European airports for passenger visitors had been: 1. Istanbul, 2. Moscow Sheremetyevo, 3. Paris CDG, 4. Amsterdam Schiphol, 5. Moscow Domodedovo
5 Airports with lower than 5 million passengers every year (based mostly on 2019 information).
Tatiana is the information coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her function consists of monitoring the lots of of stories sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming crucial in keeping with our technique.
She holds a Bachelor’s diploma in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and he or she has been editor and editor-in-chief in numerous financial magazines and newspapers.