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Two-fifths of Europe’s airports have now returned or exceeded pre-pandemic passenger numbers as the aviation sector continues its recovery.
The latest figures from airports organisation ACI Europe show that total passenger traffic across the continent in February was still 12 per cent lower than in the same month in 2019
European passenger numbers rose by 48 per cent in February compared with February 2022 when the sector was still being impacted by Omicron-related travel restrictions. This increase was mainly led by a 58 per cent year-on-year surge in international traffic while domestic numbers only grew at 22 per cent over the same period
The highest year-on-year increases during the month came from airports in Cyprus, Malta and Austria.
ACI Europe said there were “significant divergences” in performance between countries in Europe, with Portugal, Luxembourg and Cyprus leading the way, while Slovakia, Slovenia and Germany remain “farthest from achieving a full recovery”.
“This reflected a mix of factors including the impact of the war in Ukraine, the lack of penetration or loss of low-cost carrier traffic and industrial action,” added ACI Europe in its monthly update.
Germany’s airline passenger numbers remain 33 per cent lower than pre-Covid levels, which was the worst performance among the major European nations.
In comparison, Spain’s traffic in February was 2.2 per cent ahead of 2019 levels, while France (-7.3 per cent), Italy (-10.6 per cent) and the UK (-12.9 per cent) are also recovering much more quickly than the German market.
London Heathrow returned to being the busiest European airport in February, ahead of Istanbul. The UK hub was only 5.1 per cent below pre-Covid passenger numbers during the month. Paris Charles de Gaulle was in third place followed by Madrid and Amsterdam Schiphol.
The airports to see the most impressive year-on-year growth included Lisbon and Tel Aviv. But Berlin, Munich, Helsinki, Prague, Frankfurt, London Gatwick and Stockholm were among the worst performing major airports in terms of their recovery towards 2019 traffic levels.
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