A full recovery from the pandemic for European airports was finally achieved in the fist half of 2024, latest data reveals.
Passenger volumes were 0.4% above the same period in 2019 as the sector “turned the corner” from the Covid era, according to trade body ACI Europe.
Numbers rose by 9% year-on-year, with the pace in growth of 8% in the second quarter “remaining very dynamic”, but easing compared to the 10.2% increase in the first three months.
International traffic remained the main driver of growth with a 10.3% increase, expanding at more than twice the rate of domestic traffic at 4.2%.
ACI Europe director general Olivier Jankovec said: “We are in for our best summer ever in terms of passenger traffic, even though the unprecedented global IT outage earlier this month combined with recurrent air traffic management capacity shortages and aircraft delivery delays are all taking a toll on airport traffic.
“What comes next will largely depend on whether demand remains resilient and sustained when the autumn comes.
“That will in turn depend on how currently mixed macro-economic signals end up playing out – from falling inflation and stable unemployment rates to decreases in industrial production and economic sentiment.
“For now, what certainly keeps us awake at night is whether Schengen states will effectively be ready for the start of operation of the bloc’s Entry Exit System (EES) planned for November. If not, we might be in for major disruptions.”
Reviewing the first six months of 2024, he said: “As overall passenger traffic finally made it above 2019 levels over a full 6-month period, our industry has now turned the corner on the pandemic.
“But beyond these headline figures, the European airport market has become extremely fragmented in terms of traffic performance – with only 53% of airports having actually fully recovered their pre-pandemic passenger volumes in June.
“This reflects structural changes in both demand and supply – with leisure & VFR passengers and ultra-low cost carriers along with Turkish Airlines very much driving growth.
“This also reflects the dynamism of aviation markets in parts of eastern Europe and central Asia along with geopolitics’ on-going impact on specific markets, for better or worse depending on their location.”