Air fares are 36pc higher than their 2019 levels for travel in October on intra-European air routes, according to the Airports Council International.
Passenger numbers are back to 96.6pc of their pre pandemic levels. Passenger volumes increased by +11.6pc compared to August 2022, with international passenger traffic growing at twice the rate of domestic traffic.
ACI Europe predicts that passenger traffic will reach 95.5pc of pre-pandemic volumes when overall figures for 2023 are released and expects a full passenger traffic recovery in 2024, one year earlier than previously forecasted. By 2027, passenger traffic is projected to be 9.2pc higher than 2019 levels.
ACI Europe notes that airports across Europe will experience significant variations in their passenger traffic performance. Some airports have exceeded pre-pandemic volumes, while others are still struggling and may not recover fully until 2026 or later.
The performance variations are attributed to the war in Ukraine and resulting air traffic restrictions, along with structural changes in the aviation market post-Covid-19. These changes include the prominence of leisure travel and visiting friends and relatives demand, the growth of ultra-low-cost carriers, and the relative retrenchment of full-service carriers.
Among the major European airports, Istanbul is the only one to have exceeded pre-pandemic passenger levels in August 2023. London-Heathrow, Paris-CDG, Amsterdam-Schiphol, and Frankfurt are close to full recovery.
ACI noted large Low Cost Carrier bases, regional airports, and smaller airports have recorded impressive increases in passenger traffic, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Ryanair is 26pc ahead of pre pandemic passenger numbers.
ACI Europe cautions about potential downside traffic risks, including economic slowdown, inflation, higher oil prices, airline capacity constraints, and increased geopolitical risks.
The August data shows varying performance among different airport groups, with Group 1 (over 25m passengers per year) and Group 2 (10-25m passengers) experiencing declines, while Group 3 (5-10m passengers) and Group 4 (less than 5m passengers) saw positive growth compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Traffic reports shows Europe’s fastest growing airports:
- Group 1: Istanbul IST (+12.4pc), Paris-Orly (+10.8pc), Istanbul SAW (+8.8pc), Athens (+8.4pc) and Lisbon (+5.4pc).
- Group 2: Naples (+24.3pc), Porto (+19.2pc), Milan BGY (+14.3pc), Marseille (+10.7pc) and Málaga (+9.7pc).
- Group 3: Sochi (+115.6pc), Almaty (+42.9pc), Belgrade (+22.9pc), Valencia (+20.6pc) and Palermo (+17.3pc).
- Group 4: Grenoble (527.7pc), Trapani (334.4pc), Perugia (203.0pc), Kutaisi (122.1pc), San Sebastián (109.3pc)
