anna.aero analysis of airport data for May for some 251 airports across Europe and some of its near neighbours (Morocco and Turkey) shows that 171 airports reported year-on-year growth in passenger numbers, while 80 showed a decline. Across these 251 airports, which include most of the busiest airports in Europe, passenger numbers were up 4.6% from 112.4 million in May 2009 to 117.7 million this May. Sixteen airports reported year-on-year growth of more than 30% in May, while a further 18 airports managed growth of between 20% and 30%. Another 44 airports managed at least double-digit growth. At the other end of the scale, 26 airports reported a fall in passenger numbers of at least 10%. Of the 15 worst performing airports, eight were in the United Kingdom, although Shannon’s 47.6% fall in passenger numbers in May was the most dramatic of any airport.
Source: UK CAA, ADV, AENA, Assaeroporti, ADP, DHMI, Avinor, Swedavia, DAA, ANA, Finavia, Onda
Analysis of those countries with multiple major airports reveals that only the UK and Ireland saw passenger numbers fall in May compared with last May. The rapid growth of the Turkish market continues to impress, while the liberalised Moroccan market is also reporting significant growth. In other countries where a single airport is dominant, the results were also mostly positive.
| Country | Airport | May 2010 v May 2009 |
Country | Airport | May 2010 v May 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | Tirana (TIA) | +8.2% | Austria | Vienna (VIE) | +11.4% |
| Belgium | Brussels (BRU) | +1.9% | Bulgaria | Sofia (SOF) | +3.9% |
| Croatia | Zagreb (ZAG) | +1.5% | Denmark | Copenhagen (CPH) | +11.9% |
| Estonia | Tallinn (TLL) | +8.2% | Greece | Athens (ATH) | -2.1% |
| Hungary | Budapest (BUD) | +3.1% | Iceland | Keflavik (KEF) | -5.9% |
| Latvia | Riga (RIX) | +16.7% | Malta | Malta (MLA) | +19.3% |
| Netherlands | Amsterdam (AMS) | +5.3% | Serbia | Belgrade (BEG) | +11.0% |
| Switzerland | Zurich (ZRH) | +7.2% | |||
| Source: Various | |||||
International traffic of IATA members up versus May 2008
This week also saw IATA release global traffic statistics for May. Data from IATA’s 230 member airlines revealed that international scheduled traffic (as measured by RPKs – revenue passenger kilometres) was up 11.7% in May and was also above the levels reported in May 2008, before the economic recession began. What the IATA data did not explicitly show is how the May 2010 figures compared with the May 2008 figures by airline region. By combining the May 2010 report with that of May 2009, anna.aero can reveal how demand (RPKs) and capacity (ASKs – available seat kilometres) have changed by airline region.
Source: Derived from IATA data
While overall demand is up 1.3% compared with May 2008, the three largest traffic regions in Asia, Europe and North America all still showed a decline in demand compared with two years ago. However, the fast-growing airlines of the Middle East as well as growth in Africa and Latin America more than compensated, and so, overall demand was up. In all regions, capacity growth was slower than demand growth (or shrank more quickly than demand) helping to push load factors up. In fact, capacity in May 2010 was still 0.4% below that of May 2008.
It should be noted that two of Europe’s largest international airlines, easyJet and Ryanair, are not IATA members. Both of these airlines have grown international services considerably during the last two years.
One Comment
In comparison to May 2010 June is even more pleasant month with +25% increase over 4.730.000 pax at Riga International in Latvia.
In July will be overtaken edge half a million travelers thanks to newbies this year Aerosvit Airlines, Wizzair, Tarom and airBaltic, Ryanair, Czech airlines, Turkish airlines and Norwegian.