Brittany Ferries suffered a slump in traffic carried on the English Channel in the year to October as post-Brexit bureaucracy hit travel flows.
Latest figures reveal strong passenger performance on longer routes connecting the UK with Spain and France with Ireland.
But volumes on Channel routes saw passenger numbers fall by 35% against pre-pandemic 2019 levels, affecting routes from Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth.
Brittany Ferries chief executive Christophe Mathieu said: “While our long routes have surged forwards, the Channel is a real concern for Brittany Ferries and our partners.
“Overall volumes were down by 35% in the last year. There are a number of reasons for this disappointing performance, including French borders re-opening in mid-January missing much of the busiest period for holiday bookings post-Christmas.
“But the post-Brexit imposition of passports for French passengers visiting the UK has dramatically hit this side of our business too.
“What is needed now is a concerted push from tourist bodies in France and the UK to boost volumes next year and to aid the recovery of this market for us and other companies operating in the tourism sector.”
Long routes, such as between the UK and Spain, saw volumes rise by 9% to 320,364.
This has helped Brittany Ferries record a positive financial performance for the year, although figures are not due to be released before the AGM next March.
Ireland-France connections also surged forward, thanks in part to an increase in services linking Brittany and Normandie with Cork and Rosslare.
The company continued to voice optimism for 2023 with positive forward bookings and no barriers to passengers crossing borders as there were in France at the beginning of 2022.
“While Brexit has had a negative effect on routes connecting the UK, it has created opportunities elsewhere on the company’s route network,” the company said.
“New services have been launched connecting France directly with Ireland, exploiting what operators call The Brexit by-pass.”