European Airports: Passenger Numbers Exceeded the 2019 Stage

In keeping with an announcement from Airports Council Worldwide (ACI) Europe, European airports welcomed extra passengers in 2024 than in 2019, marking the primary time this has occurred for the reason that well being disaster.

Final yr, “European airports lastly exceeded their pre-COVID-19 passenger volumes, with over 2.5 billion vacationers,” the affiliation reported, citing provisional information.

This represents a 7.4% enhance year-over-year and a rise of 1.8% in comparison with pre-pandemic ranges. ACI Europe, which represents over 600 airports throughout Europe and extends to Central Asia and Israel, highlighted that worldwide air journey was the first driver of this restoration, with a rise of 8.8% over the earlier yr. Conversely, home journey remained 6.3% under 2019, with ACI Europe noting “a partial modal shift in direction of prepare journey” in some international locations.

Multi-speed Restoration

ACI Europe Director Basic Olivier Jankovec famous that the rebound within the European airline sector has occurred “regardless of a pointy rise in ticket costs, a strained provide chain, sluggish financial progress, and geopolitical tensions.”

Mr. Jankovec described the restoration as “multi-speed,” with low-cost carriers and the airports that serve them rising as the first beneficiaries.

Airports in Albania, which have skilled vital tourism progress lately, have seen their air visitors greater than triple, rising by 220% since 2019. Following Albania is Uzbekistan, with a rise of 186%, and Kazakhstan, a 74.7% rise. These two international locations are benefiting from a shift in visitors to Russia as a result of sanctions imposed after the battle in Ukraine.

Air Site visitors in German and French Airports Down

Turkey stands out as one of many fastest-recovering air visitors markets inside ACI Europe, experiencing a progress of 23.1% since 2019. Italy follows carefully with a 17% enhance, whereas Spain has seen a 13% rise, benefiting from a rebound in tourism.

In distinction, airports in Germany have skilled a big air visitors decline, with a 16.6% drop over the previous 5 years, and France has additionally skilled a lower of three%, primarily attributable to a pointy decline in home demand.

In 2024, London Heathrow remained the main airport in Europe relating to passenger numbers, with 83.9 million vacationers. It was adopted by Istanbul, which noticed a rise of 16.9% since 2019, totaling 80.1 million passengers. Paris Charles de Gaulle ranked third, with 70.3 million passengers, 7.7% decrease than pre-COVID ranges. Amsterdam Schiphol got here subsequent with 66.8 million passengers, simply forward of Madrid at 66.1 million.

Nevertheless, the Belgian NGO Transport & Setting report warns that the expansion in air visitors could make the sector’s decarbonization efforts tough. It’s estimated that gasoline consumption at European airports will rise by 59% by 2050. It makes implementing inexperienced applied sciences to cut back the sector’s emissions more and more difficult.