Country Feature
AirBaltic and Ryanair carve up Latvian market
One of three Baltic states to join the EU in May 2004 traffic at the country’s main airport of Riga has quadrupled in just four years. National airline AirBaltic has been growing fast but Ryanair has over 25% of the traffic and operates to 12 destinations despite having no aircraft based there. Who else is contributing to Latvia’s growth and what’s happening in Liepaja?
Sepang celebrates 10th anniversary – but still no routes to US
Home to some of the world’s tallest buildings and a Formula 1 Grand Prix, Malaysia’s airport traffic figures are dominated by Kuala Lumpur’s now 10-year-old airport at Sepang. Which other airports handle over one million passengers per year and how competitive has Air Asia become in just a few years? And which major countries are not served directly?
Italian traffic growth not being held back by Alitalia’s woes
Despite Alitalia’s woes growth at Italian airports averaged over 10% last year. Which were the fastest growing and which airport was the only member of the “1 Million” club to see traffic fall? What share of capacity do the major players have at Italy’s top 15 airports? In the major country markets what roles do LCCs and foreign carriers play?
Tunisia losing out to Morocco and Egypt
Without an ‘open-skies’ agreement with Europe and without the same all-year-round sunshine as Egypt, Tunisia has struggled in recent years to maximise its tourism potential. Early indications are that 2007 wasn’t a great year either so why is a Turkish company building a new airport only 60 kilometres from Monastir? And why are there hardly any LCCs in the market?
Denmark travel tax removal helps stimulate network growth
A country that has removed a tax on aviation? Surely some mistake. But what effect has it had on Danish air travel, especially in the domestic market? Apart from Copenhagen which other Danish airports have international services and what impact are LCCs having in the country? What role have bridges played in recent traffic trends?
South Africa maintains double-digit growth as World Cup fever builds
Another country expecting a travel boost from a major sporting event (though not until 2010) is South Africa. Traffic here is focussed at three main airports. South African Airways (SAA) is coming under increasing pressure from LCCs so it launched its own, Mango. On the biggest domestic routes passengers now have a choice of six airlines.
Portugal’s momentum builds as LCCs start to make their presence felt
Portugal has finally begun to embrace LCCs and international passenger numbers are booming in Faro, Lisbon and Porto. easyJet is big in Lisbon while Ryanair is rivalling TAP Portugal in Porto. TAP is struggling to make profits but has recently absorbed Portugalia to help provide long-haul feed. Brazil and Angola feature among the top 10 countries served.
Southwest joins Frontier in eroding United’s dominance in Colorado
The Rockies are a major tourism destination at this time of year and Denver is by far Colorado’s biggest airport. But there are a few others including Eagle/Vail, which caters almost exclusively to ski traffic. United may still be the biggest airline at Denver but Frontier and Southwest are making inroads as the airport looks to maintain its Top 10 world ranking.
Austria prepares to welcome football fans after record winter ski traffic
One of Europe’s great ski destinations is also home to one of Europe’s greatest cultural cities. Vienna dominates the Austrian aviation landscape though five smaller regional airport generate nearly five million passengers per year. LCCs are growing their market share and SkyEurope is making a determined effort to take on Austrian.
Hurricanes and hedonism influence Florida demand
Florida’s airports handled 135 million passengers in 2006. Not as many as California but about the same as all of France. Miami and Orlando are among the world’s top 30 airports. Which airline transports most passengers through the region? What role do hurricanes and ‘spring break’ play, and which two new airports has Skybus ‘discovered’?
Australia’s terrific traffic trends attract Tiger
Australia may only have 21 million inhabitants but its airports passed the 100 million passenger mark in 2005. Which are the leading airports and which are the fastest growing? Domestic traffic is maintaining a healthy growth rate which is likely to rise further as Tiger Airways enters the fray. But where have all the foreign tourists gone?
Swiss traffic recovery finally complete
The post-‘9/11′ collapse of Swissair had a profound impact on the Swiss market. Zurich’s traffic still hasn’t fully recovered. On the other hand Geneva and Basel are benefiting from easyJet’s development of both airports as LCC bases. Which LCC is now #2 in Zurich? When did Ryanair finally arrive in Switzerland and which routes have easyJet dropped from Basel?