When in comparison with pre-pandemic (January 2019) ranges, passenger visitors in January stood at -11% – a big enchancment over the previous month (-14% in December 2022). This is the very best month-to-month efficiency and thus closest to a full restoration for the reason that begin of the COVID-19 pandemic.
BRUSSELS – European airport commerce physique ACI Europe at the moment launched its air visitors report for January 2023. Passenger visitors throughout the European airport community elevated by +69% in January in comparison with the identical month final 12 months – when Omicron-related journey restrictions had halted the restoration. The development was predominantly pushed by worldwide passenger visitors (+85%) with home passenger visitors (+35%) increasing at a a lot slower tempo.
When in comparison with pre-pandemic (January 2019) ranges, passenger visitors in January stood at -11% – a big enchancment over the previous month (-14% in December 2022). This is the very best month-to-month efficiency and thus closest to a full restoration for the reason that begin of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI Europe commented: “2023 is off to a pretty good start thanks to the continued resilience of passenger demand in the face of higher air fares and wider inflationary pressures across the economy. 42% of Europe’s airports have now recovered their pre-pandemic traffic volumes and while there are significant performance variations across markets, we expect more to hit the same milestone in the coming months. Continued capacity expansion by ultra-Low Cost Carriers and the recent lifting of pre-departure testing requirements for travellers from China should keep driving the recovery forward for airports.”
He added: “For now, our immediate focus is on getting ready for the peak Summer season. Europe’s airports have stepped up preparedness plans. In doing so, they have reached out to all their operational partners – airlines, ground handlers, border control forces and Air Traffic Control – to identify possible risks and stress points, in particular as regards staffing levels, and to devise mitigation measures. By and large, the aviation system capacity on the ground should cope with demand – and capacity limitations will remain the exception.”
EU+ market within the lead
EU+ airports1 noticed passenger visitors rising by +82% in January in comparison with the identical month final 12 months. The highest will increase got here from airports within the UK (+128%), Ireland (+115%) and Cyprus (+111%).
When in comparison with pre-pandemic (January 2019) ranges passenger visitors stood at -11%:
11 nationwide markets achieved or exceeded a full restoration in January – in comparison with simply 1 within the earlier month (December 2022). The finest performances got here from airports in Portugal (+12.8%), Cyprus (+11.2%) and Luxembourg (+9%), adopted by these in Croatia (+5.4%), Malta (+3.6%) and Romania (+3.2%).
Conversely, airports in Slovakia (-45.2%), Slovenia (-44.1%) the Czech Republic (-33.3%) and Germany (-31.7%) remained the farthest from attaining a full restoration. This displays a mixture of elements together with the affect of the struggle in Ukraine and the dearth of penetration or lack of Low Cost visitors.
Among the biggest EU+ markets – and other than the underperformance of airports in Germany – airports in Spain +2.2%) posted the very best outcomes, adopted by these in Italy (-4.7%) France (-11%) and the UK (-14.3%).
At airports in the remainder of Europe2, passenger visitors grew by +27% in January in comparison with the identical month final 12 months.
The affect of the struggle stored weighing on efficiency – with the lack of all business air visitors for Ukrainian airports and passenger volumes lowering by -9.4% at Russian airports. Meanwhile airports in Armenia (+70%) and Georgia (+49.2%) and to a lesser extent Turkey (+47.9%) benefited from war-related visitors shifts.
When in comparison with pre-pandemic (January 2019) ranges, passenger visitors stood at -8%.
Airports in Albania (+86.2%), Armenia (+80.9%), Kosovo (+39.6%) and Serbia (+28.3%) far exceeded their pre-pandemic volumes, whereas these within the main market of Turkey (-2.6%) got here very near a full restoration. Airports in Russia (+6.6%) nonetheless managed to stay above their pre-pandemic volumes as passenger visitors stored shifting to home and non-EU+ markets.
Recovery patterns shaping airport efficiency
Passenger visitors on the Majors (prime 5 European airports) grew by +73.5% in January in comparison with the identical month final 12 months. It remained -10.6% beneath pre-pandemic (January 2019) ranges – an enchancment in comparison with the previous month (December 2022 at -12.1%), with the constructive affect of the re-opening of the Chinese market nonetheless to materialise.
- By welcoming 5.64 million passengers, Istanbul went again to being the busiest European airport in January – a place taken by London-Heathrow within the remaining months of 2022. This represented a rise of +62.6% over the identical month final 12 months, permitting the Turkish hub to exceed its pre-pandemic (January 2019) volumes by +8.1%.
- London-Heathrow got here second with 5.49 million passengers, adopted by Paris-CDG with 4.72 million passengers. Volumes elevated by +111.2% and +73.2% respectively for the British and French hubs in comparison with the identical month final 12 months – and remained -7.4% and -12.1% beneath pre-pandemic (January 2019) ranges.
- Madrid got here within the fourth place with 4.43 million passengers. The efficiency of the Spanish hub displays the numerous penetration of Low Cost Carriers and its decrease publicity to Asia. Along with Istanbul, it was the one Major exceeding pre-pandemic volumes (+1%). Madrid was adopted by Amsterdam-Schiphol with 3.9 million passengers (+56.6% in comparison with the identical month final 12 months / -22.2% in comparison with January 2019).
The passenger visitors efficiency of different giant airports3 in January mirrored a restoration nonetheless largely pushed by intra-European and transatlantic routes, dominated by leisure demand and characterised by important (however selective) capability enlargement from Ultra-Low Cost Carriers.
Accordingly, Lisbon (+13.3%), Athens (+3.9%), Dublin (+2%), Istanbul-Sabiha Gokcen (+1.3%) all exceeded their pre-pandemic (January 2019) volumes. Meanwhile, Berlin (-45.9%), Munich (-28%), London-Gatwick (-26.9%) and Frankfurt (-21.3%) remained properly beneath.
The identical restoration patterns and market dynamics introduced regional and smaller airports4 near a full passenger visitors restoration (-4.9% for airports with lower than 10 million passengers each year when in comparison with January 2019).
There have been nonetheless important variations in efficiency amongst regional airports, with these serving in style vacationer locations and/or counting on Low Cost Carriers seeing passenger volumes exceeding pre-pandemic (January 2019) ranges – together with: Varna (+60.1%), Batumi (+56%), Memmingen (+40.5%), Paphos (+39.2%), Funchal (+38.5%), Alghero (+31.5%), Bergamo (+22.3%), Krakow (+19.8%), Catania (+14.6%), Charleroi (+13.6%) and Eindhoven (+12.9%).
Aircraft actions
Aircraft actions elevated by +28% throughout the European airport community in comparison with the identical month final 12 months, with airports within the EU+ markets at +32% and people in the remainder of Europe at -10%.
Data by airport teams
During the month of January, airports welcoming greater than 25 million passengers per 12 months (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 12 months (Group 4) reported a mean adjustment of -12.9%, -8.8%, -2.9% and -2.6%, as in comparison with pre-pandemic visitors ranges (January 2019).
The airports that reported the very best will increase in passenger visitors for January 2023 when put next with January 2022 are as follows:
- Group 1: London STN (+173.9%), London LGW (+170.6%), Rome FCO (+143.1%), Manchester (+119.1%) and Dublin (+113.5%).
- Group 2: Tel Aviv (+270.1%), Edinburgh (+159.8%), Birmingham (+141.8%), Venice (+139.4%) and London LTN (+120.2%).
- Group 3: London LCY (+228.6%), Malta (+137.8%), Newcastle (+126.9%), Keflavik (+111.5%) and Pisa (+107.6%).
- Group 4: Leeds (+177.6%), Nuremberg (+174.7%), Dresden (+167.5%), Florence (+154.5%) and Cork (+146.6%).
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 Airports with greater than 25 million passengers each year (2019).
4 Airports with lower than 10 million passenger each year (2019).
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network the place she is the Editor-in Chief. She can be chargeable for the every day operation and the monetary coverage. She holds a Bachelor’s diploma in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has a few years of each educational and industrial expertise inside the journey business. She has written/edited quite a few articles in varied tourism magazines.