Paris, Istanbul, Madrid: Which European airports are finally exceeding pre-Covid passenger levels?
2.5 billion passengers handed by way of European airports in 2024 – rising 7.4 per cent on 2023
Europe’s airports have lastly exceeded pre-Covid ranges of passenger site visitors, in response to a brand new report.
Airports Council Worldwide (ACI) Europe confirmed that 2.5 billion passengers handed by way of European airports in 2024 – 7.4 per cent increased than in 2023.
Consequently, final yr’s general site visitors was 1.8 per cent above pre-pandemic ranges (2019).
Nonetheless, 47 per cent of Europe’s airports are nonetheless beneath their pre-pandemic volumes.
Structural aviation market modifications and geopolitics have resulted in vital efficiency gaps throughout nationwide and particular person airport markets, ACI Europe mentioned.
Europe’s airports surpassed historic passenger site visitors information in 2024
The expansion of Europe’s airports in 2024 was largely pushed by worldwide passenger site visitors (up 8.8 per cent on 2023), the report discovered.
Home passenger site visitors solely grew 2.5 per cent on 2023 – remaining 6.3 per cent beneath pre-pandemic ranges.
Site visitors was extra pronounced within the first half of the yr in addition to throughout off-peak months historically related to decrease site visitors.
This displays structural aviation market modifications – together with a partial shift to rail – sturdy cross-border mobility throughout the EU Single Market, and fast-growing demand in rising markets exterior the EU, ACI Europe mentioned.
“Europe’s airports welcomed an extra 200 million passengers final yr, with many surpassing their earlier historic information,” mentioned Olivier Jankovec, Director Basic of ACI Europe.
“This was achieved regardless of much-inflated airfares, continued provide pressures, largely tepid financial development and geopolitical tensions. That clearly speaks volumes about how customers are actually prioritising experiences and journey specifically.”
Jankovec added that 2024 confirmed main structural post-Covid shifts, with passengers more and more travelling for leisure and visiting pals and relations, and low-cost carriers largely defining site visitors efficiency.
That are Europe’s busiest airports?
One of the best-performing European airports in 2024 have been London Heathrow, Istanbul, Paris CDG, Amsterdam Schiphol and Madrid.
London Heathrow retained its place as Europe’s busiest airport in 2024, welcoming 83.9 million passengers. This represented a rise of 5.9 per cent over the earlier yr, permitting the British hub to surpass its pre-pandemic ranges by 3.7 per cent.
Airports within the EU+ market – together with in Hungary, Czechia and Estonia – noticed passenger site visitors improve by 7.8 per cent in 2024 when in comparison with the earlier yr, outperforming these in the remainder of Europe.
The impression of geopolitics was extra acute in these areas, hitting airports in Israel (-33.3 per cent), Russia (-13.5 per cent) and Ukraine (no site visitors).
Passenger site visitors at small airports (lower than a million passengers) in 2024 grew on the slowest tempo and remained 34.5 per cent beneath their pre-pandemic volumes.
These small airports present connectivity and territorial cohesion throughout the breadth of Europe, ACI Europe mentioned, but structural market modifications and regulatory developments are hindering their restoration.
‘Sick-advised aviation insurance policies’ will probably be greatest problem for additional development in 2025
“Trying on the months forward, we anticipate demand for air journey to stay resilient – defying fragile client confidence and customarily sluggish European economies,” Jankovec mentioned.
“We’re thus forecasting a 4 per cent development in passenger site visitors for 2025 – however we might want to preserve that forecast beneath evaluate, contemplating the overwhelming world political and financial uncertainties.”
The primary challenges for site visitors will probably be airways’ fleet administration woes, air site visitors administration capability shortages, ill-advised aviation insurance policies and geopolitics, Jankovec mentioned.
