BRUSSELS - ACI
Europe has released the latest European passenger traffic
data, showing collapsed air traffic and air connectivity and massive disruption
to airport rankings across the footprint.
Continued
passenger loss due to quarantine-based tarvel restrictions
Overall figures, reflecting data up to and including November, show passenger
traffic currently down by 81% across the European airport networks, with the
stark lost passenger threshold of 1.5 billion so far this year passed just
yesterday (on 15 November). These passengers, in a 1.5 metre spaced line, would
wrap around Earth 56 times.
Airports in the EU, EEA, Switzerland and
the UK are currently seeing passenger traffic decreasing by an average of 86%
compared to last year.
Olivier
Jankovec, Director General of
ACI Europe, said: “These airports are bracing with an
accelerating downward trend in passenger traffic. Airlines continue to cut back
planned capacity in response to the further extension of local lockdowns in
many countries – which are only adding further pain to the one already
inflicted by severe cross border travel restrictions. As things stand,
passenger traffic is heading back towards another full collapse similar to the
one experienced in second quarter, when volumes were down by 96%.”
Passenger traffic in the rest of Europe
remains somehow more resilient, currently decreasing by 59%, a rate that
appears to be fairly stable at the moment. Airports in Russia and Turkey are
clearly outperforming other markets, due to the relative dynamism of their
domestic market.
Disruption
highlighted in airport ranking reversal
This situation has turned the top 10 European airport league upside down. In
September, the busiest European airport was Antalya with just 2.25 million
passengers (-53.5%), followed by Moscow-Sheremetyevo (-53.5%),
Moscow-Domodedovo (-26.2%) and Istanbul (-71%).
London-Heathrow, which normally holds
the top position only ranked 10th, behind Paris-CDG (8th) and
Amsterdam-Schiphol (9th) – with these major hubs also being surpassed by
Istanbul-Sabiha Gokcen (5th), Moscow-Vnukovo (6th) and Saint Petersburg (7th).
Other major hubs like Frankfurt and Munich did not even make it to the top 10
league.
Tags: ACI Europe
