EUROPE. Europe has returned to being a “two-speed market” for passenger growth, according to ACI Europe.
Airports in the EU market recorded a strong +6.8% increase in traffic in July, but the non-EU market saw a drop of -5.5% – its third consecutive month of decline.
Overall passenger traffic in Europe was up +3.9%.
ACI Europe said markets in the south of the EU serving leisure destinations generally fared very well. Double digit passenger growth was achieved by Bulgaria (+21.5%), Croatia (+18.3%), Cyprus (+16.7%), Portugal (+13.5%), Romania (+15.8%) and Spain (+11.4%). Poland (+10.8%) and Lithuania (+12.7%) also recorded strong growth.
The two largest non-EU markets, Turkey and Russia, fared poorly in July. Passenger traffic at Turkish airports declined -15.3% in the wake of the Istanbul Atatürk airport terrorist attack of last June and the failed coup. Russia also continued to register declining volumes, at -5%.
“Here we are again in a two-speed market – but the other way around this time,” commented ACI Europe Director General Olivier Jankovec. “While air traffic growth after the global financial crisis was down to non-EU airports, the EU market is now the one in growth mode.
“July also confirms the fact that traffic growth this year tends to be focused on secondary hubs and mid-sized airports, rather than large hubs and smaller regional airports. This primarily reflects the fact that low cost airlines are the ones driving market expansion. But it also accounts for what seems to be a lasting impact of terrorism on external demand for intercontinental air services to Europe.
“More generally, the impact of the terrorist attacks and political instability affecting parts of Europe this year has largely remained local – leading to shifts in demand benefiting other European markets.”
During July, airports welcoming more than 25 million passengers per year (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 less than 5 million passengers per year (Group 4) reported an average adjustment of +0.3%, +6.6%, +14.3% and +4.0% respectively.
The airports which reported the highest increases in passenger traffic during July 2016 (compared with July 2015) are as follows:
Group 1: Barcelona El-Prat (+9.6%), Copenhagen (+9.5%), Dublin (+9.3%), Amsterdam (+7.8%), London Gatwick (+6.9%)
Group 2: Gran Canaria (+20.0%), Cologne-Bonn (+17.5%), Alicante (+17.1%), Malaga (+15.3%) and Birmingham (+14.2%)
Group 3: Berlin Schoenefeld (+41.5%), Tenerife Sur (+23.1%), Larnaca (+21.9%), Kiev (+19.4%) and Faro (+17.9%)
Group 4: Oradea (+12,425.0%), Vaasa (+627.6%), Kharkiv (+63.2%), Palanga (+55.6%) and Keflavik (+35.9%)
