TRAFFIC

The Fraport Group has enjoyed a successful start to the year, with all key financial indicators achieving at least double-digit growth rates in the first quarter of 2024. The main driver of this positive trend was the continued rise in passenger numbers at most of the airports across Fraport’s global network, which helped boost the […]

Traffic continues to grow at Sweden’s airports with a total of 2.6 million passengers (+1.5%) passing through Swedavia’s ten gateways last month. According to the airport operator, the upwards trend is being driven by increased demand for international travel, primarily from Stockholm Arlanda Airport, where the airlines continue to expand their route networks. Indeed, this […]

Over 3.1 million passengers travelled to and from Ireland’s two busiest airports in April, according to daa, the operator of Dublin and Cork airports. The number of passengers travelling through Dublin Airport in April was up marginally versus the same month last year, at just 1%. At Cork Airport, passenger traffic was marginally down by […]

Hong Kong International Airport handled 4.36 million passengers and 29,840 flight movements in March, increases of 56.7% and 48.2% respectively on the same month a year ago. Partly driven by the long Easter holidays starting at the end of March, all passenger segments saw growth, with Airport Authority Hong Kong reporting that traffic to and […]

Some 4.6 million passengers passed through Frankfurt Airport in March 2024 – 7.8% more than during the same month a year ago. Operator, Fraport, notes that the upturn in traffic is even more impressive as strikes caused the cancellation of about 2,200 flights from FRA during the month, disrupting the travel plans of almost 300,000 […]

A record-breaking March rounded off a very strong winter season at London Stansted that resulted in the airport registering its busiest ever 12-month period. The early Easter helped boost monthly numbers to record levels as more than 2.18 million passengers passed through the terminal, beating the previous high set in 2019 by almost 80,000. The […]

A total of 2.9 million passengers travelled to and from Ireland’s two busiest airports during the month of March, according to figures released today by airport operator, daa. Across the month, the number of passengers travelling through Dublin Airport was 9% higher than the same month last year. At Cork Airport, passenger traffic increased by […]

Like many airports across the globe, London Gatwick says that it is gearing up to welcome passengers travelling over the Easter holidays, which will be its busiest two weeks of the year to date. The highest number of departures at London Gatwick are expected to be on Easter Sunday (March 31), while Sunday, April 7, […]

Amsterdam Schiphol today announced that it handled 4.6 million passengers in February – a healthy 22% rise on the same month a year ago. Around 3.2 million passengers arrived from or flew to a destination in Europe, meaning that 1.4 million passengers travelled between Amsterdam and a intercontinental destination outside Europe. The United Kingdom was […]

Global airport operator, Fraport, today announced record highs for revenue and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) for fiscal year 2023. The key driver, it states, was a continued recovery in passenger numbers – particularly at the Fraport Group’s airports outside of Germany. Buoyed by this trend, the Group result (or net profit) […]

Passenger growth at Miami International Airport (MIA) is off to its fastest start ever this year and is expected to continue to the end of the month. Up until March 16 this year, MIA had served 12.3 million passengers, which is one million travellers  or 9.6% more than at the same time last year. Since […]

Some 3.9 million passengers passed through Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in February 2024, almost 13% up on the corresponding month a year ago, despite strikes on several days. The strikes resulted in the cancellation of about 1,770 flights, preventing roughly 225,000 passengers from traveling via Frankfurt as planned. This shortfall was only partially offset by the […]

Ireland’s airports are expecting a busy St Patrick’s Day, with over 50,000 passengers expected at Cork Airport over the Bank Holiday weekend and more than 33,400 anticipated at Shannon Airport, while some 650,000 are scheduled to pass through Dublin Airport over the next eight days. Horse racing fans attending the Cheltenham Festival and rugby supporters […]

London’s Heathrow Airport served a record number of passengers in February as 5.8 million people passed through the UK hub last month. The busiest ever February half-term saw more than two million passengers at Heathrow. Winter sun won over the ski slopes with nearly two thirds of travellers landing somewhere warmer than London. Even before […]

Spanish airport operator, Aena, today revealed that it expects its annual passenger numbers to exceed 300 million in 2025, one year earlier than previously projected. The admission, has led it to revise its traffic forecasts and update its financial targets, with around 294 million passengers now expected to pass through its airports this year before […]

Around 2.3 million passengers used Dublin and Cork airports in February, according to the latest figures released by operator, daa. A total of 2.1 million passengers passed through Dublin Airport’s two terminals an increase of 5% versus February 2023, while 193,000 went through Cork Airport, a 23% increase versus the same month last year. The […]

Christchurch Airport today released its half-year financial results which deliver a higher interim dividend to the New Zealand city than forecast, from a total operating revenue of NZ$115.5 million for the six months to  December 31, 2023. Chair of Christchurch International Airport Limited (CIAL), Sarah Ottrey, says strong visitor numbers, coupled with the strength of […]

In another big win for Queensland, Delta Air Lines is set to spread its wings by commencing services to Brisbane from December this year. The announcement heralds another leap forward in connectivity and, according to Brisbane Airport (BNE), is poised to further invigorate Queensland’s tourism and export sector. Delta Air Lines will launch with three […]

Swedish airport operator, Swedavia, today revealed that Ryanair will launch four new routes at Stockholm Arlanda Airport and Göteborg Landvetter Airport respectively this summer. Ryanair is to expand at both Stockholm Arlanda Airport and Göteborg Landvetter Airport ahead of the summer programme 2024 and will launch four new routes. From Stockholm Arlanda, the Irish airline […]

London’s Heathrow Airport enjoyed the third busiest year in its history, and made a profit for the first time since 2019 last year as it continued its recovery from the global pandemic. A total of 79.2 million passengers passed through its facilities in 2023, nearly 30% more than the previous year. It claims that it […]

A total of 4.1 million passengers passed through Hong Kong International Airport last month – twice as many as it handled in January a year ago. The airport also experienced healthy increases in flights and cargo volumes during the month, the 28,755 air traffic movements and 377,000 tonnes of freight handled across its facilities representing […]

Hot on the heels of a record-breaking January, London Stansted is set for its busiest week of the year so far as thousands jet away for half-term. More than 360,000 passengers are expected to fly from the airport over the next 10 days, with families from across the East of England heading away for some […]

The latest Airport Industry Outlook, released by ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East (ACI APAC & MID), presents a positive trend in the recovery of passenger traffic and airport finances. However, macroeconomic factors continue to pose challenges to the overall recovery of the sector. The Airport Industry Outlook, developed in partnership with Mott MacDonald, reveals the […]

TAV Airports’ full-year financial and operational results for 2023 show that it handled 96 million passengers (+22%) across its gateways last year and saw its revenues soar by 25% to €1.3 billion. Forecasting 100 to 110 million passengers in 2024, the company revised its 2022-2025 compound growth expectations upwards. TAV Airports CEO, Serkan Kaptan, stated: […]

A host of European airports today released their traffic data for the first month of 2024, with Barcelona, Copenhagen, London Stansted, Madrid and Manchester among those reporting impressive upturns in traffic. Aena reports that 18.6 million passengers (+10.3%) passed through its Spanish airport network in January 2024, Madrid (+8%) and Barcelona (+13.9%) leading the way. […]

Warsaw Chopin Airport admits its traffic volumes ‘surpassed expectations’ last year, when nearly 18.5 million passengers and a record 103.6 thousand tonnes of cargo passed through its facilities. It says that the performance in 2023 “significantly exceeded forecasts” that projected it would handle slightly over 15 million passengers. In reality, Chopin Airport served precisely 18,499,527 […]

Rising traffic demand at Munich Airport has led to a significant increase in the number of services to Asia from the German gateway this year, with record passengers numbers expected on the routes from the start of the summer schedules. It notes that a total of nine airlines are currently planning 107 weekly flights to […]

While yet to hit pre-COVID traffic levels, passenger numbers at Singapore Changi continue to travel in an upwards direction, reaching 58.9 million in 2023, representing 86% of the traffic recorded in 2019. Aircraft movements, which include landings and take-offs, totalled 328,000, as compared to 382,000 in 2019. Against a volatile global economic environment, airfreight throughput […]

Sydney Airport closed out 2023 with its strongest monthly passenger traffic since 2019, with a total of 3.58 million passengers passing through the terminals in December 2023. The total represented a 15.8% increase on passenger traffic in December last year and a 90.6% recovery compared to December 2019. Sydney Airport’s T1 international terminal saw 1.5 […]

A total 15.3 million passengers passed through Helsinki Airport last year – nearly 20% up on 2022. The total accounted for 84% of all passengers handled at Finland’s airports in 2022, with 88% of travellers at the gateway boarding an international flight. Transfer passengers catching connecting flights made up 27% of all international passengers, around […]

Aena today announced that an all-time high of 283,195,399 passengers (+16.2%) passed through Spain’s airports in 2023 – nearly 3% more than the previous record, set prior to the pandemic in 2019. Reflecting on the performance, Aena’s chairman and CEO, Maurici Lucena, stated that “the record figures in air transport are fundamental for the economic […]

A record 45.9 million passengers passed through Hamad International Airport (DOH) last year – 31% more than in  2022 when Qatar hosted the FIFA World Cup finals. The airport also enjoyed a 22% rise in flights and a modest upturn in cargo volumes as it welcomed 252,059 aircraft movements and 2.34 million tons of freight […]

Hamburg Airport handled 13.6 million passengers in 2023 as it continued its recovery from the global pandemic. Indeed, aircraft load factors hit record levels during the year and passenger numbers hit an all-time high for October, although the annual passenger total remains 22% down on 2019. Strong demand for holiday travel Compared to 2022, 22% […]

Airport Authority Hong Kong reports that Hong Kong International Airport will close 2023 with passenger numbers back to 80% of  pre-pandemic levels. The airport’s recovery is in line with Airport Authority Hong Kong’s forecast. During Christmas holiday travel peak, the airport handled more than 160,000 passengers daily on both the 22nd and 23rd of December. […]

Today will be the first day since the pandemic that Brisbane Airport’s International Terminal will see 20,000 passengers in a single day. Hip Hop Santa performers will greet passengers as they arrive at the airport, just in time for Christmas. The milestone signifies a resilient stride forward for the airport and Queensland’s tourism industry, showcasing […]

A total of 3.41 million passengers passed through Sydney Airport in November 2023, a rise of 15% on the corresponding month a year ago, and just 8.6% below pre-pandemic levels. Sydney Airport’s T1 international terminal saw 1.26 million passengers pass through in November, a 29.8% increase on the same month last year and a 93% […]

Sydney Airport expects 2.6 million passengers to pass through its facilities during the upcoming Christmas break. The anticipated total is up 500,000 passengers on last year’s Christmas holiday season, and represents a 95% recovery compared to the same period in 2019. The international recovery is especially strong, with 1.1 million passengers expected to use T1 […]

Cork Airport is forecast to have its busiest year in its history in terms of international passengers this year with 2.75 million set to fly in and out of the Munster’s most popular airport in 2023. Last month, 191,000 passengers flew to and from Cork Airport, a 14% increase on November 2022. While almost 2.2 […]

Tulsa International Airport has announced a significant milestone, it handled more outbound passengers in October 2023 than it has in a single month since July 2008. The Oklahoma gateway accommodated a total of 149,876 enplanements in October – 4.5% more than in the corresponding month a year ago, 11% up on October 2019 and the […]

London Stansted Airport recorded its busiest ever October as nearly 2.6 million passengers passed through its terminal, surpassing the previous record set in 2018. The UK gateway states that the popularity of its extensive European route network, plus the half-term getaway, ensured that it welcomed more than 28,000 more passengers than in 2018. The total […]

A total of 2.5 million passengers passed through Copenhagen Airport in October, 12% more than in the same month a year ago. The increase was helped by the launch of 13 new services to Asia, Africa and the Middle East this winter, meaning that 228 direct routes across the globe are currently served from Copenhagen. […]

Dublin and Cork airports welcomed over three million passengers between them in October as traffic levels continue to rise at Ireland’s two busiest gateways. A total of 2.8 million passed through the doors of Dublin Airport in October, which was 4% higher than in the same month last year, according to airport operator daa. While […]

It’s not just witches on broom sticks taking to the skies over the Halloween bank holiday, Shannon Airport is expecting record breaking passenger numbers with over 44,000 people forecast to take off from the airport throughout the October holiday period. This will be the highest number of passengers to travel through the airport during the […]

Frankfurt Airport (FRA) welcomed some 5.8 million passengers in September 2023 – an increase of 18.2% compared to the same month last year. Operator, Fraport AG, however, is quick to point out that the monthly total was 13.9% down on September 2019. The latest figures mean that Frankfurt Airport handled a total of 44.5 million […]

A total of 2.9 million passengers passed through the doors of Dublin Airport in September, 11% higher than in the same month in 2022, according to airport operator daa. Cork Airport, also operated by daa, performed equally well with some 260,000 passengers using its facilities in September – up 12% on the same month a year […]

Air traffic figures for the first nine months of 2023 show the UK aviation industry is busier than it has been since the pandemic, although still slightly below the record 2019 flight numbers. In the year so far, air traffic control services provider, NATS, has safely managed more than 1.8 million flights in UK airspace, […]

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today announced that its airports saw more passengers during August 2023 than during any previous month in history. A record high number of air travellers also passed through the airports during the Labor Day holiday travel period. In facts and figures, a record-breaking 13.3 million passengers […]

ACI World today published its latest quarterly air travel outlook revealing global passenger traffic expected to recover in early 2024 as it reaches 9.4 billion passengers. Highlights from ACI World’s 14th Advisory Bulletin on the impact of COVID-19 on the airport business— and the path to recovery, include: • Global passenger volume in 2023 is expected […]

London Heathrow (LHR) has retained its status as the world’s most internationally connected airport, according to OAG’s Megahubs 2023 data. LHR was the fourth biggest airport in the world in terms of total scheduled capacity in the year to August 2023. British Airways remains the dominant airline at London Heathrow, operating 50% of all flights. […]

Traffic growth is well and truly back on track at Munich Airport, with the German gateway today revealing that after a successful summer it expects to set new records for long-haul traffic next summer. Its confidence is based on the 2024 summer schedules, when Lufthansa will have 36 long-haul aircraft stationed in Munich, and will […]

Airport operator, Fraport, today announced that 5.9 million passengers passed through Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in August 2023 – 13% more than in the corresponding month in 2022. While welcoming the news, Fraport notes that the monthly total is still 15.3% down on pre-pandemic August 2019. The latest total means that during the school holidays in […]

London’s Heathrow Airport is celebrating the end of a successful summer after 7.5 million passengers passed through its facilities in August. The UK hub says that during the month, passengers checked in more bags than ever before, and claims that its baggage support team “went the extra mile” to help airline handlers get bags away […]

ACI EUROPE today condemned the decision by the caretaker Dutch Government to pursue a capacity reduction at Amsterdam Schiphol to 452,500 aircraft movement as of Winter 2024. It also expressed concerns regarding the conditions under which a ‘temporary’ capacity reduction to 460,000 aircraft movement will be implemented as of Summer 2024. Olivier Jankovec, director general […]

London Gatwick’s interim financial results for the first half of 2023 show that it enjoyed a “strong” six months, despite what it called a “challenging operational environment”. The airport’s revenue increased in the first half of 2023, compared to 2022, and it achieved an improved EBITDA and increased net profit in the half year ending […]

Passenger numbers continue to grow at Hong Kong International Airport, rising by 14.9% in July on the same month a year ago as a total of 3.8 million travellers passed through the gateway. According to operator, Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), the daily passenger average in July exceeded 120,000, recovering to 60% of the pre-pandemic […]

San Antonio International Airport (SAT) made history in July with more than one million passengers flying in and out of the airport, according to the airport’s passenger data. This comes on the heels of SAT’s busiest ever May and June – as well as the busiest single day on July 31, with 41,560 passengers. The […]

Aena’s Spanish airports handled a new July high of 29.7 million passengers – 10% more than in the same month a year ago and 1.2% above pre-pandemic levels. Aena’s airports also handled 242,222 aircraft movements (+5.1%) and 86,779 tonnes of cargo (+8.6%) in July as traffic across its airport system continued its strong recovery from […]

Copenhagen Airport recorded a profit before tax of DKK167 million in a busy second quarter to reverse its loss before tax from the winter months. As a result, the Danish airport posted an overall profit before tax for the first half year of DKK108 million, during which time it handled 12.4 million passengers – 31% […]

Hamad International Airport (DOH) continues to enjoy impressive traffic growth, experiencing a 35% rise in passenger numbers  during the first half of 2023. The Qatari gateway also witnessed an 18.1% increase in aircraft movements compared to the same period a year ago. The airport saw a total of 20,775,087 passengers during the first half of […]

Record-breaking passenger figures have been recorded at Shannon Airport during the first six months of 2023, for the first time in over a decade. The airport, which has been experiencing increased demand for overseas travel since last year, recorded 902,603 passengers from January to June of this year. When compared to the same period in […]

Manchester Airports Group (MAG) believes that it is well-placed to enter a period of investment and growth, after reporting a positive set of full-year results. In the period 1 April 2022 – 31 March 2023, the UK’s largest airport group recorded a revenue of £1 billion for the first time in its history, as demand […]

ACI World has today published its latest quarterly airport traffic outlook showing strong air travel demand will continue to improve into the northern hemisphere summer season. Highlights from ACI World’s 13th Advisory Bulletin on the impact of COVID-19 on the airport business—and the path to recovery include: • The easing of inflation and rising consumer […]

May was a good month for the Fraport Group, with Frankfurt Airport welcoming more than 5.1 million passengers and most of its airports worldwide experiencing double-digit growth rates. The monthly passenger total in Frankfurt (FRA) represented a 12.2% increase over the same month a year ago. However, compared to pre-crisis May 2019, FRA’s passenger traffic […]

According to London Heathrow, it currently has more daily flights than ever before between the UK and USA as airlines switch capacity to North Atlantic routes and away from European and East Asian markets, which have been slower to recover. In May alone, it says that 1.6 million passengers used the UK hub to fly […]

Ahead of the summer season, S&P Global Ratings has raised its European air passenger traffic forecasts, anticipating that travel demand will continue to resist economic pressures. In a new report, the ratings agency anticipates that European air passenger traffic should return to pre-pandemic levels in 2024, up from 85%-95% of 2019 levels in 2023. Airlines’ […]

Cork Airport is set to welcome it’s one millionth passenger of 2023 today as the airport prepares for a busy June Bank Holiday weekend, with over 56,500 passengers expected. As the peak summer season begins, the busiest day of the bank holiday weekend will be Friday, June 2. This weekend’s passenger figures indicate an increase […]

It’s take-off for Shannon Airport’s new Chicago service with United Airlines today as the first flight takes to the skies towards the windy city. At 8.50am this morning, excited passengers boarded the Boeing 757-200 aircraft departing at 9.30am, for the first daily seasonal Chicago service from Shannon bound for O’Hare International Airport. Speaking at a gate celebration to mark […]

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) believes that it could handle up to 218,000 passengers a day during peak travel days around the Memorial Day holiday weekend. If the projections prove to be true, it will make the days between Thursday, May 25, through Monday, May, 29 the highest for passenger volumes at the airport since […]

Hong Kong International Airport handled 3.1 million passengers in April, a massive upturn on the 126,000 that passed through its facilities in the travel restricted same month a year ago. Compared to the same month last year, flight movements more than doubled to 21,545, while cargo throughput declined by 7.7% to 347,000 tonnes. All passenger […]

Low-cost carrier, easyJet, today announced it will open a base for three of its aircraft at Birmingham Airport (BHX) from March 2024. This major investment by easyJet will create around 100 direct jobs, including pilots and crew, and will support 1,200 indirect jobs in the West Midlands region. Basing three of its 186-seat A320 aircraft […]

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) reached a post-pandemic milestone last Thursday and Friday, exceeding 70,000 departing passengers per day through its checkpoints for the first time in over three years. Having cleared this threshold, SFO is looking forward to a busy summer travel season, forecasting the highest levels of passenger traffic since the pandemic began. […]

A bumper Easter getaway boosted London Stansted’s traffic figures for April as the airport welcomed more than 2.4 million passengers during the month. The monthly total was up 16% on April 2022, with the airport also experiencing its busiest day of the year so far with 87,000 passing through the terminal on Easter Monday. The […]

Global airport operator, Fraport, today revealed that it has “successfully started the new 2023 business year, achieving a noticeable improvement in the Group’s key financial figures during the first quarter of 2022. The positive performance, it says, was driven by ongoing traffic recovery across Fraport’s global network of airports. As a result, Group revenue increased […]

April was another record month for passenger numbers at Dublin Airport, with a total of 2.83 million passengers travelling through during the month, according to airport operator, daa. The numbers passing through Dublin Airport were marginally higher (+0.7%) than the 2.81 million passengers who passed through in the previous busiest April in 2019 and up […]

Shannon Airport is in store for a bustling May Bank Holiday as over 45,000 people are expected to travel through the airport over the holiday period. If it happens, it will represent  a 42% increase on passenger traffic when compared to the same period of last year (2022) and beats pre-pandemic traffic levels for the May Bank Holiday in 2019 by close to 30%. Director […]

The latest industry analysis from ACI EUROPE has described a market segment which is simultaneously outperforming with a positive summer ahead, whilst also warning of disparities in the pace and strength of recovery and continued financial challenges. Unveiled at the 14th Annual ACI EUROPE Regional Airports Conference and Exhibition in Chania, Crete, the new analysis […]

ACI Asia-Pacific and ACI EUROPE have jointly called on India and the European Union (EU) to establish a comprehensive aviation agreement to liberalise traffic rights and boost regulatory alignment, including the acceleration of decarbonisation policies between the two regions. The call was made during this week’s EU-India Aviation Summit organised jointly by the European Commission […]

In a major milestone for Sydney Airport, the Australian hub today welcomed its 50th airline with Vietjet’s inaugural service from Ho Chi Minh City arriving this morning. This is the highest number of airlines flying regular scheduled passenger services the airport has ever seen in its 103-year history. Flight VJ85 touched down in Sydney this […]

March was another record month at both Cork and Dublin airports with 181,000 and 2.48 million passengers respectively travelling through the gateways, according to operator, daa. At Cork Airport, March has followed the trend set in January and February, with another impressive performance. Last weekend, Cork Airport surpassed 500,000 passengers in the year to date. […]

Passenger numbers across Europe’s airports soared by 48% in February compared to the same month a year ago, providing further evidence of aviation’s growing recovery from the global pandemic. ACI EUROPE, which notes that air travel in February 2022 remained constrained by Omicron-related restrictions, says that last month’s upturn in traffic was predominantly driven by […]

Today marks three years since the start of the first COVID lockdown in the UK, and reflecting on the occasion, OAG’s chief analyst, John Grant, states that although traffic still lags behind 2019 levels, the national recovery is going in the right direction. He says: “Our data shows that, three years on from the pandemic, […]

A total of 5.2 million passengers travelled through Heathrow during February, with 26th February the busiest single day in Terminal 5 since Christmas 2019 with over 94,000 passengers. According to the UK hub, it “successfully managed” the February half-term getaway, when top holiday destinations were Dubai, New York and Madrid. It notes that overall passenger […]

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is anticipating a busy spring break travel period that is expected to draw more than 12 million passengers to the airport between March and April. The increase in passenger and vehicle traffic will make this spring break the most travelled at LAX since 2019, leading Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) […]

New South Wales’ minister for tourism, Ben Franklin, announced today that Qantas Group has been successful with its application for the NSW Aviation Attraction Fund to support routes from Newcastle Airport to Cairns and Adelaide. Responding to the news, Newcastle Airport CEO, Dr Peter Cock, said the announcement was significant for the gateway and surrounding […]

Dubai Airports today labelled 2022 a banner year for Dubai International Airport (DXB), revealing that it handled 66 million passengers during 12 months of robust growth. It notes that growth outpaced the annual forecast yet again in the final months of the year following an exceptionally strong fourth quarter, and believes that it is now […]

Almost 16 million passengers used Abu Dhabi’s five airports in 2022 – tripling the 5.26 million handled in 2021. The bulk of the total passed through Abu Dhabi International Airport with the remainder using either Al Ain International, Al Bateen Executive, Delma Island or Sir Bani Yas Island airports. His Excellency, Jamal Salem Al Dhaheri, […]

Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) celebrated its third busiest year in 2022 when more than 3.88 million passengers passed through its facilities. SDF is also celebrating the greatest number of non-stop destinations ever at 37 on eight airlines. “Last year, 2022, was a banner year for us and something we’re very proud of following […]

The Full Year 2022 traffic report released today by ACI EUROPE shows that the airport industry finally turned the corner on the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the industry body. Passenger traffic across the European airport network nearly doubled (+98%) in 2022 compared to the previous year, reaching 1.94 billion passengers. However, that was still -21% […]

Miami International Airport (MIA) handled a record 50.6 million passengers in 2022, nearly 10% more than its previous best in 2019. The total included 21.3 million international passengers, 8.3 million more than 2021 but one million less than pre-COVID levels. Compared to the airport’s total of 37.3 million passengers in 2021, when the aviation industry […]

Birmingham Airport (BHX) in the UK has celebrated handing the 10 millionth customer in its current financial year. According to the airport, the milestone represents a story of the steady recovery for BHX, which emerged from the COVID-19 deep-freeze back in March 2022, when travel restrictions were lifted. Compared to the previous financial year (2021/22), 2022/23 has so far seen […]

Shannon Airport’s strong recovery in 2022 exceeded expectations, according to Shanon Airport Group CEO, Mary Considine. The Irish airport welcomed over 1.51 million passengers to the airport in 2022, a 300% increase on 2021 figures, and an 88% recovery of 2019 passenger levels. “The accelerated pace of the rebound in air travel from Shannon has […]

Emirates has taken yet another significant step in the resumption of its Australia capacity by increasing its service to two major cities – Sydney and Melbourne. The airline also announced today that it will also restart services to Christchurch, New Zealand via Sydney, offering a new path for Australians across the trans-Tasman route. From March […]

The contrasting 2022 traffic recoveries of Hong Kong and Frankfurt and Dublin airports show just how far the European gateways are ahead of the Southeast Asian airport in terms of bouncing back from the global pandemic. For while Frankfurt and Dublin today announced that they handled 48.9 million and 28.1 million passengers respectively last year, […]

Airports across Europe continue to announce their annual traffic figures for 2022, the bulk of which are reporting a significant upturn in passenger numbers and routes as aviation’s recovery from the pandemic gathered momentum. Munch Airport, for example, reveals that it handled 31.6 million passengers in 2022 – 19 million more the previous year as […]

Cork Airport believes that it is on track for a “strong recovery” in 2023 after revealing that it handled 2.24 million passengers last year. Its confidence is based on what it calls the swift recovery of international traffic after the removal of the last remaining COVID related travel restrictions. Last year’s passenger total meant that […]

Despite a weak start to the year due to the Omicron variant and other global concerns, Sweden’s airports welcomed nearly 28 million passengers in 2022 – a 130% increase on the 12 million that passed through the country’s gateways in 2021. According to the Swedish airport operator Swedavia, 2022 ended on a strong note, especially at […]

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is on target to handle close to 70 million passengers in 2022 after 60.1 million passed through its facilities in the first 11 months of the year. The airport welcomed more than 5.5 million passengers (+13%) in November, the upturn largely being driven by the continued growth in international traffic. […]

Jordan’s Queen Alia International Airport is on target to handle around eight million passengers in 2022 after reporting that it handled 7.1 million travellers passed through its facilities in the first 11 months of the year. The total to date is 75% up on the same period last year but still 13.2% down on its […]

Abu Dhabi Airports today released its passenger traffic results for the third quarter of 2022, which show that 4.7 million passengers passed through its gateways during the period from July 1 to September 30. The total, handled across Abu Dhabi International Airport and the smaller gateways of Al Ain International, Al Bateen Executive, Delma Island […]

New self-service touchpoints at check-in, bag drop, and security mean that passengers can now breeze through Geneva Airport, according to technology provider, SITA. The new touchpoints, it says, are helping to reduce wait times and provide more flexibility to passengers increasingly seeking digital travel solutions. In addition, SITA notes that passengers and staff will also […]

Ontario International Airport (ONT) welcomed more than 541,000 passengers in October – the highest total in a single month since its 2016 transfer to local ownership – and extended its run of better than pre-pandemic levels, airport officials announced today. The Southern California gateway posted a 7.3% increase in total passengers in October compared with […]

Frankfurt Airport (FRA) welcomed 4.9 million passengers in October 2022, an increase of 45.3% year-on-year. With the autumn school vacations occurring in the reporting month, FRA experienced particularly strong demand for holiday travel, specifically for flights to popular destinations in Turkey, Greece and the Canary Islands, while services to the Caribbean “continued to see robust […]

Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (BLR) today announced that it is back at pre-COVID passenger levels owing to the high traffic numbers recorded in its current financial year. Displaying the ongoing momentum of passenger recovery, passenger traffic volumes at BLR registered over 102% growth in domestic travel and about 85% growth in international travel in […]

Travel demand remained at an overall high level at Swedavia’s airports through October, despite continued global uncertainty. According to Swedish airport operator, Swedavia, Stockholm Arlanda noted several days of passenger numbers approaching year-highs in conjunction with the annual autumn break. It is also quick to note that waiting times at security checkpoints were at most […]

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) handled more than 48 million travellers in the first nine months of 2022, surpassing the airport’s total passenger volume for all of 2021. Year-over-year international passenger traffic doubled in September, guided by new and returning air service and strong demand. The airport reported a total of 5,598,840 passengers in September, […]

Third quarter traffic figures released today by ACI EUROPE show that passenger traffic across the continent’s airport network increased by +61% compared to the same period last year. International passenger traffic (+84%) drove the surge as largely unrestricted cross border travel led to a boom in leisure and VFR travel over the peak summer months. […]

London Gatwick’s recovery from the pandemic is gathering pace with the airport now offering flights to almost 90% of the destinations it served in October 2019. This translates to 172 destinations being served from Gatwick during the upcoming school holiday period, compared to 197 in the same period in 2019 (87%). Top destinations for half-term […]

Southern California’s Ontario International Airport (ONT) surpassed pre-pandemic levels for the seventh straight month in September as passenger volumes continued to climb to levels not seen since 2007, airport officials announced. Nearly 517,000 air travellers flew into or out of ONT during the month, a rise of 10.15% on the same month in 2019. It marked […]

Jordan’s Queen Alia International Airport has announced that it handled 5.8 million passengers during the first nine months of 2022, a healthy 89% rise on the same period last year and just 15% down on pre-pandemic levels. “We are continuing to build on our close collaborations with various stakeholders to grow our airline and destination […]

A total of 24.8 million passengers passed through Aena’s Spanish airport network in September – just 8.3% down on the corresponding month in 2019. In addition, 209,069 aircraft movements were recorded across its airports last month, which is equivalent to a recovery of 94.2% compared to 2019, and 83,036 tonnes of cargo handled, representing a […]

Strong demand for air travel despite heightened macro-economic risks is a key takeaway from ACI World’s latest assessment analysis on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on airports. “The recent momentum created by the lifting of many health measures and the relaxation of most travel restrictions in many European countries and in the Americas has […]

Leading data platform for the global travel industry, OAG, today released Megahubs 2022, the Top 50 most internationally connected airports in the world. Last updated in 2019, Megahubs provides fresh insight into how ongoing travel disruptions are affecting global connectivity. While London Heathrow (LHR) maintained its first-place ranking among European hubs, its global ranking dropped […]

China’s tougher border measures and Japan’s cautious approach towards relaxation of inbound travel restrictions could displace Asia-Pacific as the world’s largest air passenger market for the year 2022. Asia-Pacific which has dominated the civil aviation market for several years prior to the pandemic, is estimated to finish second, behind Europe in terms of passenger share, […]

August was busy at Copenhagen Airport (CPH), with more than 2.3 million passengers passing through the facilities at Denmark’s capital city gateway. The monthly total means that around seven million passengers used Copenhagen in between June 1 and August 31 this year, with Spain being the most popular outbound destination. “It has been a busy […]

Bahrain International Airport has revealed that almost three million passengers passed through its facilities in the first half of 2022. Talking about the airport’s 2022 performance to date, Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) CEO, Mohamed Al Binfalah, said: “We can all be proud of how well our airport has performed this year. “After losing more than […]

A total of 2.9 million passengers passed through Sweden’s airports in August as the country and its aviation industry continued its recovery from the global pandemic. It was the third straight month that close to three million passengers used Swedavia’s 10 airports, which include Stockholm Arlanda, Göteborg Landvetter and Malmö. The airport operator notes that […]

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) enjoyed a strong rebound in international traffic this summer, with passenger numbers in July nearly double those experienced during the same month a year ago. The airport handled a total of 6.3 million passengers in July, up from 5.5 million in the same month last year. The increase of nearly […]

Air travellers making their final trips of the summer are expected to have plenty of company at Southern California’s Ontario International Airport (ONT) over the Labor Day weekend. According to ONT officials, the number of domestic and international passengers combined will be more than 77,000 between September 1 and 5, 6% higher than the same […]

A steady surge of growth throughout the second quarter has propelled Dubai International’s (DXB) half yearly traffic to 27.9 million passengers, just 1.2 million shy of the airport’s total annual traffic last year. DXB achieved the milestone despite a significant reduction in capacity resulting from the 45-day closure of its northern runway in May-June for […]

Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) welcomed 401,000 passengers in July, 2022, a colossal 259.3% increase over the same period last year, although passenger volumes remain significantly down on pre-pandemic levels. Cargo throughput and air traffic movements recorded 17% and 3.1% year-on-year drops to 348,000 tonnes and 11,485 movements, respectively. The relaxation of inbound travel and […]

Copenhagen Airport and the Fraport Group have become the latest airport operators to post improved results for the first half of 2022. Denmark’s capital city airport reports that eight out of ten passengers are back, it has taken on an extra 500 staff to cope with rising demand, and that it is close to breaking […]

Passenger numbers at San Diego International Airport (SAN) broke the two million a month barrier in June for the first time December 2019. The milestone also marks the closest the airport has come to reaching pre-pandemic passenger numbers as June reached 90.5% of 2019’s traffic levels. “SAN has seen a steady increase in passenger numbers […]

Two years after the pandemic shrank global air travel to historic lows, Miami International Airport (MIA) is experiencing its busiest year ever and is on pace to surpass 50 million annual passengers for the first time in its history. The Florida gateway’s previous annual record is 45.9 million passengers, set in 2019. According to statistics […]

ACI World today published its annual World Airport Traffic Dataset, revealing the magnitude of the aviation industry’s recovery and confirming global air traffic rankings for the full year 2021. “Following the release of preliminary data earlier in the year, we are pleased to share ACI’s complete annual World Airport Traffic Dataset,” said ACI World director […]

Passenger traffic at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) continued its upward trend in June 2022, with some five million passengers passing through the German hub during the month. The total represented a huge 181% increase on the corresponding month a year ago – the biggest monthly upturn since the start of the pandemic – and means that […]

Nearly 2.9 million passengers passed through Swedavia’s airports in June, meaning that traffic volumes have risen at Sweden’s gateways for the third straight month for the first time since the start of the pandemic. June is usually the strongest travel month of the year due to increased demand and routes being added during the summer. […]

Abu Dhabi International Airport is expecting a busy next few months with passenger numbers boosted by Eid Al Adha and the upcoming summer holiday season. Around 2.8 million passengers are expected to pass through Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) during July and August this year, of which 414,000 are specific to the Eid Al Adha […]

ACI World today published its quarterly assessment analysing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on airports, and it shows that aviation’s rebound from the pandemic is beginning to gather momentum. Indeed, ACI World, reveals that the lifting of many health measures and the relaxation of travel restrictions in many European countries and in the Americas […]

On the eve of its 32nd Annual Congress and General Assembly, ACI EUROPE today published its Airport Industry Connectivity Report for 2022, which reveals that the recovery of European air connectivity from the COVID-19 pandemic is uneven and still difficult. According to ACI EUROPE, this reflects the combination of yet not fully lifted travel restrictions, […]

London Luton Airport welcomed 1.2 million passengers in May, with a further 200,000 travelling across the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee between June 2-5. Despite the significant increase in passengers, the airport’s operations teams managed to provide a smooth travel experience for customers, with security wait times averaging ten minutes or less and almost 99% of flights […]

The European aviation industry is heading for a strong summer, with air traffic now expected to reach 60%-70% of 2019 levels in 2022, according to the latest estimates from S&P Global Ratings. The estimate is up from previous S&P forecasts of 50%-65%. According to a new report, airlines are benefitting from significant pent-up demand for […]

A total of 5.3 million passengers travelled through Heathrow in May, around 79% of 2019 levels, which the UK hub claims is in line with its revised forecast. It notes that despite the bad publicity about long queues and flight cancellations at airports across the globe due to the lack of staff, ‘close coordination and […]

Following two years of passenger numbers below the one million-mark, London City Airport (LCY) today announced that it has surpassed that milestone and are confident of finishing the year close to three million. This follows a very successful May where the airport welcomed 290,000 travellers, representing 65% of 2019 numbers for the same period. LCY […]

More than 2.6 million passengers passed through Sweden’s airports in May – the highest monthly total since the start of the pandemic. Airport operator, Swedavia, notes that the strong growth was driven mainly by an increase in international travel, especially at Stockholm Arlanda, “where air travel has increased sharply within a short period of time”. […]

Asia-Pacific and the Middle East aviation industry is experiencing green shoots of recovery, according to the first edition of the Airport Industry Outlook, a quarterly report by Airports Council International Asia-Pacific (ACI APAC). The report, developed in partnership with Mott MacDonald — a global engineering, management and development consultancy— provides a snapshot of how airports […]

With over 200,000 passengers per day expected to pass through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) during the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, the gateway is urging travellers to plan ahead for parking and pick-up well in advance this year. “With passenger traffic reaching the highest levels since early 2020, guests who are travelling through LAX during […]

Cargo operations at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in March set a new all-time record for trade by value moved in a single month, with a total of $13.75 billion in global imports and exports. International trade at LAX in March 2022 increased 22.33% from the same month one year ago, and increased nearly 16% […]

Air travel in Europe is beginning to show signs of recovery, with ACI EUROPE today revising its forecast for 2022 to an expected -22% decline on pre-pandemic levels. It had previously predicted a -32% decline for 2022, but notes that its upward forecast comes with hefty warnings, with a full recovery to pre-pandemic volumes not […]

Frankfurt Airport (FRA) welcomed four million passengers in April 2022 – 303% more than it did during the same month a year ago. As a result, Germany’s largest aviation hub recorded its strongest traffic month since the beginning of the pandemic – with April 2022 passenger numbers even exceeding the monthly levels achieved during last year’s […]

Qatar’s Hamad International Airport is today reporting that it enjoyed a 162% increase in passenger traffic during the first quarter of 2022 compared to the same period a year ago. A total of 7.14 million passengers passed through the gateway in the first quarter of 2022, starting off with 2.1 million in January and February […]

The recovery in air travel across Sweden accelerated in April, with more than 2.2 million passengers passing through the country’s airports – the highest monthly total since February 2020. According to airport operator, Swedavia, strong demand, the launch of new operations by airlines and investments in new routes in time for summer are driving the […]

King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has announced that its passenger traffic has rebounded to pre-COVID-19 levels and that its commercial revenues in March 2022 topped those recorded in March 2019. Specifically, duty-free sales at the KKIA climbed substantially in March 2022, with a growth rate of 62% compared to March 2019 (and […]

Despite challenging circumstances due to multiple waves of COVID, Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (BLR) recorded its highest-ever cargo volumes in its last financial year (FY2022). The gateway reports that it handled an all-time high tonnage of 411,513 tonnes of cargo, recording a growth of 26% as against 326,643M processed in FY2021. International cargo recorded a […]

Air travel continued its recovery in Sweden during the first quarter of 2022, with four times as many passengers passing through the country’s airports than the same period a year ago. A total four million passengers used the country’s gateways in Q1, the upturn in traffic providing a much needed financial boost for airport operator, […]

Ontario International Airport (ONT) had eagerly awaited a month in which passenger volumes would be higher than the same month before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and now the wait is over as the gateway welcomed 454,000 travellers last month, 4% more than in March 2019. “Ontario is setting the pace of recovery among […]

Maryland officials last night welcomed PLAY Airlines and the start of its new international service between Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Reykjavik, Iceland. The airline will operate daily non-stop services between BWI and Iceland, with convenient connections to more than 20 cities across Europe. The US airport notes that it is the first North […]

Spanish airport operator, Aena, reports that its recovery from the global pandemic gathered pace in March, with passenger numbers across its network now back to 78% of 2019 levels. Aena welcomed 15.5 million passengers (+387%), 152,770 air traffic movements (+86%) and 92,300 tonnes of cargo (+8.8%) in March 2022 compared to the same month a […]

Despite the uncertainty caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the ongoing threat of COVID-19, the desire across Europe for intra-European travel is undoubtedly strong, according to the latest research by the European Travel Commission (ETC). Indeed, it claims that three in four Europeans intend to take a trip in the next six months, […]

ACI World today confirmed what many had long suspected, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (ATL) regained its status as the world’s busiest airport in 2021 by handing 75.7 million passengers – 76% more than in the previous 12 months. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) was the world’s second busiest gateway in 2021, handling 62.4 million passengers (+58%), followed by Denver […]

ACI EUROPE today released its air traffic report for February 2022, which shows that previously stalled passenger numbers due to the COVID-19 Omicron wave resumed an upward trajectory during the month. Accordingly, compared to pre-pandemic (2019) levels, passenger volumes across the European airport network stood at -39% during the month, up from -45.7% in January. […]

San Diego International Airport is celebrating the launch of non-stop Lufthansa services to Munich, which will initially be served by three weekly A350-900 flights to Germany. “We are happy to welcome Lufthansa back to San Diego and celebrate the first flight to Munich,” enthused Kimberly Becker, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority’s president and CEO. […]

Brisbane Airport (BNE) has welcomed Emirates’ A380 back to Queensland’s skies for the first time in nearly three years, with the iconic superjumbo returning to the gateway last night. Emirates’ A380 will resume daily services between BNE and Dubai (DXB), replacing the airline’s other wide-body aircraft that serviced the route throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the […]

Melbourne Airport (MEL) today welcomed back international tourists from around the globe to Victoria for the first time in almost two years. This morning two of Melbourne’s top chefs were among those at MEL’s international terminal to provide a warm welcome to arriving passengers. Frank Camorra of MoVida and Shane Delia of Maha surprised some […]

Ontario International Airport (ONT) in Southern California reports that its passenger numbers soared by 123% in January compared with the same month last year, providing officials a sense of optimism for air travel in 2022. The total number of air travellers – 339,736 – was almost 86% of the pre-pandemic level in January 2019. Domestic […]

Brisbane Airport operator, Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC), has admitted that it is “ecstatic” at today’s Australian government announcement that its international borders will reopen to fully vaccinated travellers from February 21. By fully vaccinated, the government clarifies that it means all those who are double-vaccinated with a recognised COVID-19 vaccine. According to BAC, today’s announcement […]

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) today announced that low-cost carrier PLAY is to launch daily international flights to Iceland from Stewart International Airport. It notes that the service to Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, will launch in June and be a major step ahead in the Port Authority’s efforts to expand air […]

Norwegian is set to re-open its cabin crew base at Arlanda with the new employees becoming its first crew based in Sweden since the pandemic started in 2020. According to Swedish airport operator, Swedavia, the airline is planning to operate a network of 54 non-stop routes to Europe from Stockholm Arlanda this summer. And, as […]

European air traffic will only reach 45%-65% of 2019 levels in 2022, according to latest estimates published by S&P Global Ratings. In a new report, the ratings agency assesses the volatile recovery prospects facing European airports following the outbreak of the omicron variant in December. S&P expects air traffic numbers for rated European airports to […]

While 2021 was a year to forget for Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) in terms of passenger traffic, the picture couldn’t have been more different for cargo, with the gateway handling five million tonnes (+12.5%) of freight. The upturn in cargo volumes ensured that the airport handled more freight last year than the 4.8 million […]

Saint Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport handled 18.1 million passengers last year – an impressive 66% up on 2020 and just 8% down on its pre-COVID best in 2019. According to operator, Northern Capital Gateway LLC, Pulkovo accommodated 15.5 million passengers on domestic flights, marking an 28% increase compared to 2019. Top domestic destinations were Moscow, Sochi, […]

Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) has welcomed today’s announcement that Queensland’s international borders will reopen without restrictions for international travellers from Saturday. The news means that from Saturday, double-vaccinated international travellers will no longer have to undertake quarantine. Commenting on the development, BAC CEO, Gert-Jan de Graaff, enthused: “This is an incredibly exciting day for everyone […]

Whilst acknowledging that tough times continue for aviation, London City Airport (LCY) today revealed that it is expects to experience “a strong recovery” this year. Its optimism is based on “pent up passenger demand”, which it expects to trigger a surge in growth in 2022, along with the reintroduction of three quarters of its pre-COVID […]

A total of 120 million passengers passed through Aena’s Spanish airports in 2021 – 57% up on 2020 but still a significant 43.6% down on the pre-COVID levels reached in 2019. Madrid’s Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport handled 24.1 million of the total in 2021 – a drop of 60.9% compared to 2019 and an increase […]

Hamburg has become one of the first airports in the world to reveal its year-end traffic figures for 2021 – the German gateway handling 5.3 million passengers (+17%) last year. And although the total is almost 70% down on 2019 levels, the airport says that last year’s throughput, compared to 2020, represents a “positive” upturn. […]

ACI Europe today released preliminary data on the impact of the Omicron variant on European passenger traffic, along with its full air traffic report for November 2021. It reveals that in the three week period (weeks 47 to 49) following the first report from South Africa to the WHO of the Omicron variant, passenger traffic […]

Milan Bergamo Airport is ending the year on a high note, welcoming its sixth new airline and officially opening its new terminal extension. The new airline, Moldovan low-cost carrier (LCC) HiSky, inaugurated flights between Bergamo and Baia Mare and Târgu Mureş in Romania on Monday and will add a service to Moldovan capital, Chisinau, from […]

Dubai International Airport (DXB) is 100% operational again with all terminals, concourses, lounges, restaurants and retail outlets open for business following the reopening of the final phase of Terminal 3’s Concourse A. Terminal 3 is expected to serve more than 1.6 million passengers in the second half of December during the month’s peak seasonal travel […]

London Gatwick is set to welcome nearly 750,000 passengers across the Christmas and New Year period – a 570% increase on 2020 due to last year’s COVID-19 restrictions. The holiday period is traditionally one of the busiest times of the year for Gatwick, outside of the summer peak, with the airport regularly welcoming in excess […]

Siem Reap International Airport handled its first international flight since March 2020 today when Singapore Airlines relaunched services to Cambodia’s second largest city. As of today, Singapore Airlines will operate daily flights between Siem Reap and Singapore on the Boeing 737-8, which features the airline’s all-new narrow-body cabin products. The carrier notes that will also […]

Newcastle Airport in Australia claimed that it was “bouncing back to life” today as it welcomed back the first of its regular Queensland services. Brisbane and Gold Coast services are scheduled from today, with Sunshine Coast and Cairns flights to commence to the New South Wales gateway from this Friday, December 17. Newcastle Airport CEO, […]

Twenty months after its pandemic-related closure, the satellite building of Munich Airport’s Terminal 2 will be partially re-opened on December 1, 2021. The airport and Lufthansa, which jointly operate Terminal 2 and its satellite building, will again use the south area of the non-Schengen level for the handling of flights to the United States. In […]

Gatwick Airport’s list of airline customers is to be joined by Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (SIA), which is to launch low-cost non-stop flight between the gateway and Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. The UK airport believes that the news of the new service is perfectly timed with searches for holidays to Thailand increasing by […]

London’s Heathrow Airport has begun recruiting for over 600 new frontline roles as the restart of transatlantic travel and easing of international restrictions boosts confidence in the aviation sector’s recovery. While passenger numbers at the hub airport remain 56% down on pre-pandemic levels, the move to end the US travel ban has revived the airport, as the market accounts for 20% of Heathrow’s […]

Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) in China continues to hold off Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (ATL) in the US for the title of busiest passenger airport on the planet, according to the latest traffic figures from ACI World. Indeed, Chinese airports accounted for seven of the top ten busiest airports in the world for passenger traffic in the first […]

Nearly 20 months after the last transatlantic flight carrying tourists landed in Las Vegas, Virgin Atlantic Airways returned to Las Vegas on Monday, November 8. The Boeing 787-9 touched down the same day policies for foreign national air travellers to the United States changed, allowing more vaccinated international visitors to enter the country. The flight was greeted in […]

October was the busiest month of the year for Cyprus’ Larnaka and Pafos airports, with a total of 951,820 passengers passing through the gateways. Operator, Hermes Airports, reveals that 619,501 passengers used Larnaka while Pafos welcomed 332,319 travellers during the month, more than they handled during the traditionally peak month of August. Hermes Airports claims […]

The summer of 2022 is beginning to look much better for Copenhagen Airport (CPH) in terms of its route network, with long-haul flights to Toronto and New York back on the agenda. The airport acknowledges that airlines have so far prioritised European destinations, but says that the world is now really opening up, revealing that […]

Brisbane Airport operator, Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC), today issued the following statement in response to the announced roadmap to easing travel restrictions in Queensland. The statement, in full, reads: “We’re pleased to see a roadmap to the reopening of Queensland. However, there are elements of it that are of great concern in relation to domestic […]

The positive upward trend in traffic at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) continued in September when 3.1 million passengers and 188,177 tonnes of cargo passed through its facilities. The figures represent 169% and 13.4% rises respectively on the same month a year ago, although operator Fraport readily admits that traffic levels in September 2020 were “very weak” […]

Some good news from Swedavia today, which has announced that it will open a second terminal at Stockholm Arlanda in response to rising demand. The Swedish airport operator has decided to re-open Terminal 2 on October 26, providing support for the already open Terminal 5. It reveals that the decision was made as a result […]

Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) has signed a letter of co-operation to work toward creating a regular Bamboo Airways non-stop flight between Los Angeles and Vietnam. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) operator, LAWA, has worked with the Office of Los Angeles Mayor, Eric Garcetti, and the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board to secure the […]

Things are beginning to look up for Swedavia, with both Eurowings and Finnair announcing their intention to expand their operations from Stockholm Arlanda. Eurowings is to set up a base at Arlanda in the summer of 2022, its decision will add at least 20 direct new routes to Europe from the Swedish capital. While Finnair […]

London Luton Airport (LLA) is calling on the UK government to simplify the rules for international travel and provide extra support for the travel sector after experiencing another difficult summer. The airport welcomed 1.2 million passengers throughout July and August this year, as people travelled to visit family and friends, whilst holidaymakers took advantage of […]

Emirates will receive three more A380s from Airbus this year with its last aircraft on order scheduled to join its fleet in November, bringing forward the original delivery timeline from June 2022. The deliveries will bring Emirates’ total fleet of A380s to 118 aircraft in November, including six aircraft equipped with Premium Economy seats in […]

Edinburgh Airport is celebrating a major coup this morning with the news that Virgin Atlantic will launch non-stop flights to Barbados from the Scottish capital in December. And it gets even better for Edinburgh as the airline will follow the launch with the start of direct services to Orlando in March 2022. The flight to […]

July proved kind to Brussels South Charleroi Airport which is delighted to report that it enjoyed its first significant month-on-month rise in passengers since March 2020. The Belgian airport reveals that “a strong rise in traveller numbers” during the first month of the summer led to 558,328 passengers passing through its facilities in July – […]

Dubai International Airport (DXB) is preparing for its busiest weekend of the year and expects to handle more than one million passengers over an 11 day period that traditionally marks the end of the summer holidays in the UAE. The expected surge in numbers to over 100,000 passengers a day at DXB also coincides with the […]

Germany is currently experiencing its biggest traffic increase of the year, according to air navigation provider, DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung. Fuelled by the start of the holiday season and an easing of travel restrictions, DFS reports that it recorded the strongest traffic increase of the year so far in July. And for the first time since March […]

TAV Airports handled 13.1 million passengers and generated €156 million in revenue across its global airport network during the first half of 2021. The passenger total amounted to 8 million domestic and 5.1 million international passengers at its airports, which include gateways in Turkey, Tunisia, Croatia, North Macedonia and Saudi Arabia. “We had a very […]

It may not be one of the UK’s better known airports, but Doncaster Sheffield (DSA) has some big ambitions, and its efforts to boost its route network have been boosted by TUI’s decision to expand its operations from the gateway next summer. The package holiday giant has announced that it will launch services to Faro […]

There may still be a long way to go, but passenger numbers are finally on the rise at Copenhagen Airport, the Danish gateway handling nearly twice as many travellers last month than it did in May. And although the June upturn only amounted to an average of 17,000 passengers a day compared to pre-COVID levels […]

Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport today revealed that it has handled 1.1 million passengers since reopening for commercial flights a year ago following its temporary closure due to the global pandemic. The Ecuadorian gateway has welcomed an average of 95,985 passengers a month over the last year – 77% lower than its pre-pandemic levels when […]

Munich Airport will resume operations in Terminal 1 this summer in anticipation of rising passenger numbers. Like many airports around the world, the airport decided to close the terminal to traffic to concentrate operations in Terminal 2 to make best use of its resources and save money. The German gateway handled 400 flights and 36,000 […]

Cargo operations at Liege Airport have been boosted by the news that Saudi Cargo is to up the frequency of freighter flights to the Belgian gateway. The airline signed a contract with the airport yesterday confirming its decision to step up its operations in Liege. Commenting on the airline’s decision, Liege Airport CEO, Frédéric Jacquet, […]

Fraport’s executive board chairman, Dr Stefan Schulte, will reveal the impact of COVID-19 on Frankfurt Airport and the group’s global airport portfolio, and confirm his optimism about aviation’s ability to bounce back, when he addresses shareholders at the company’s virtual Annual General Meeting on Tuesday. Referring to last 12 months as “the most severe and […]

Eurocontrol, never one to sugar coat matters, today predicted that air traffic in Europe won’t return to 2019 levels until 2024 at the earliest. The bleak scenario is outlined in a new forecast looking at the possible evolution of domestic and international air traffic in Europe over the coming four years taking into account the expected […]

Cargo volumes at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) are rising, although passenger numbers continue to struggle, based on the gateway’s April traffic statistics, released today by Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK). The latest totals show that the airport handled 389,000 tonnes of cargo (+15.5%) in April, and while both its passenger numbers and air traffic […]

London City Airport (LCY) today welcomed the resumption of SWISS services to Zurich (ZRH), the route to Switzerland’s largest city previously being one of the gateway’s most popular prior to the global pandemic. SWISS will operate two rotations per week to Zurich initially, although their schedule will increase in line with the anticipated surges in […]

Dubai International Airport (DXB) believes that it ended the first quarter of the year on a relatively positive note, registering a gradual but steady recovery in both customer numbers and cargo volumes. By the end of Q1 2021, DXB served 63% of the destinations in 89% of the countries on 74% of the airlines compared […]

ACI World today released the COVID-19 impacted world traffic rankings for 2020, the global pandemic ensuring that it has a very different look to normal, with Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) in China replacing Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (ATL) as the busiest gateway on the planet. Guangzhou Baiyun took top spot by handling 43.7 million passengers in 2020, just […]

Airports in Australia and New Zealand have been celebrating the reopening of quarantine free trans-Tasman travel for the first time in 12 months. In Brisbane, Brisbane Airport opened 16 ‘Green Lane’ services yesterday to accommodate Air New Zealand and Qantas flights between BNE and Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. The airport reports that all eight arrivals […]

Copenhagen Airport continues to struggle with the downturn in traffic caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, today admitting that although its airlines are ready for busy summer take-off, “everything now depends on what the reopening plan for the travel industry will look like”. The Danish gateway adds: “Even with the few people currently travelling, social distancing […]

An old friend returned to Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) today – Southwest Airlines, which is back at the Texas gateway after a 16 year absence. Its return widens the carrier’s footprint in Houston and will provide greater convenience for business and leisure travellers throughout the region, notes Houston Airports. “Welcome back home to […]

Milas-Bodrum Airport greeted its first international passengers of the year when an Azur Air flight from Moscow touched down in Turkey yesterday. The flight, which was met by a traditional water salute,  brought 212 passengers from Moscow Vnukovo to Bodrum. TAV Milas-Bodrum’s general manager, İclal Kayaoğlu, said: “We are happy to welcome the first international […]

Leisure travel in America will push the US domestic airline industry to a COVID recovery by early 2022, according to a new report from consulting firm Oliver Wyman. “A year ago, we would have thought that a full domestic recovery in this timeframe for the US was almost impossible, but the combination of pent-up demand, economic […]

Hamburg Airport today admitted that the coronavirus pandemic has left deep scars in its balance sheet, revealing that the “unprecedented crisis” has resulted in a first-ever annual deficit of €113 million. And the German airport, which saw its passenger numbers drop by 73% to 4.56 million in 2020, notes that without a strict savings programme, […]

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) today welcomed the return of Emirates with the arrival of their first non-stop flight from Dubai in 11 months. The largest airline in the Middle East plans to operate four non-stop flights per week, using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Dubai based Emirates suspended operations at SFO on March 29, 2020, due […]

Cork Airport has welcomed the news that Lufthansa is to commence a twice-weekly Cork-Frankfurt service for Summer 2021, connecting the two cities for the first time in eighteen years. Lufthansa (operated by Lufthansa CityLine) will operate a Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft with 75 seats on board – 15 Business Class and 60 Economy Class – offering […]

Dubai International Airport (DXB) today revealed that it handled 25.9 million passengers in 2020, the figure being boosted by traffic recovery in the second half of a tough year. The total meant that the world’s busiest international airport welcomed 70% fewer passengers than it did in 2019. According to operator, Dubai Airports, DXB’s closing data […]

ICAO has revealed that airline seating capacity fell by around 50% in 2020 as the number of passengers boarding flights dropped from 4.5 billion in 2019 to just 1.8 billion passengers last year. That adds up to a staggering financial loss to the industry of around $370 billion, says ICAO, which noted that airports and air […]

Cork Airport, Ireland’s fastest-growing gateway in 2019, today revealed that it lost more than two million passengers in 2020 as a result of COVID-19. The 80% decline in passenger numbers meant that just 530,000 people used the country’s second-largest airport last year. Traffic declined across all the geographical markets served by Cork Airport. Passenger volumes […]

Miami International Airport (MIA) experienced its busiest day since the pandemic began when it handled 90,000 passengers on January 3. The total helped ensure that the Florida gateway welcomed more than 1.1 million passengers during the 17-day winter holiday travel period from Monday, December 21 to Wednesday, January 6, 2021. In December, MIA averaged 278 […]

German air navigation service provider, DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH, today revealed it handled less than half the traffic it normally does in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. It recorded a total of 1.46 million take-offs, landings and overflights across German airspace in 2020 under instrument flight rules, and warns that it is […]

According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and exceeding its expectations, Orlando International Airport (MCO) has started 2021 as the busiest airport in the US for departures. TSA traffic figures show that for eight straight days, from Sunday, December 27, until Sunday, January 3, MCO enjoyed more passenger departures than any other airport in the […]

Dubai Airports is gearing up for an upsurge in the number of passengers expected to pass through Dubai International (DXB) over the next few days. It is estimated that 545,000 passengers will use DXB between January 1-7, with throughput peaking on January the 2nd and 3rd when more than 78,000 travellers are expected to depart […]

Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport, which opened its “new and improved” Terminal C at the start of 2020, has ended a difficult but eventful year by inaugurating its newly reconstructed Runway-1. The runway has two new high-speed-exit taxiways, which according to the Russian gateway, ensure that it has the terminal facilities and airfield capacity to handle […]

ACI Europe’s latest traffic analysis shows that 6,000 air routes previously operated from Europe’s airports have been lost to the COVID-19 crisis. The routes, which have been axed by the airlines this year and not resumed, expose “the systemic collapse of the aviation network and air connectivity due to the COVID-19 crisis,” according to ACI […]

London Gatwick Airport is expecting to see a significant increase in passengers travelling over the Christmas period, with up to 200 flights a day forecast to operate to and from the gateway, with top destinations including Dublin, Geneva and Tenerife. While typically Gatwick would normally see more than 700 flights a day during this time, […]

Brisbane Airport (BNE) is set to welcome more than 30,000 daily passengers tomorrow for the first time since March 16, declaring the milestone a clear sign that domestic travel is recovering. Specifically, on Friday, the airport’s Domestic Terminal will see more than 16,000 arrivals and 14,000 departing passengers from a total of 309 flights. Off the back of interstate borders re-opening, […]

The opposition to quarantine measures and other travel restrictions appears to be gathering pace with ACI Europe and a number of other international aviation associations today urging European governments to abolish them. The calls follow new Recommendations published by EASA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control (ECDC), which unequivocally rejects their use […]

ACI World has signed an exclusive partnership with Routes that is designed to help airports recover from the most challenging period the aviation industry. It is hoped that the formal agreement between the two organisations will provide platforms and guidance for airports at a world level, recognising the vital role they will play in driving […]

ACI Europe president, Jost Lammers, has acknowledged that emerging news of an effective vaccine gives reason for hope. However, this cautious optimism was delivered with a caveat – that airports along with the rest of the aviation sector cannot simply wait out the inevitable time challenges of safety confirmation and herd immunity. Delivering his keynote […]

Global airport operator, Fraport, today confirmed that COVID-19 continues to badly hit traffic figures at airports across its network. Just 1.1 million passengers passed through Frankfurt Airport (FRA) In October 2020, for example, a significant 83.4% down on the same month a year ago. The total means that FRA’s cumulative traffic during the January-to-October 2020 […]

Cambodia’s Sihanouk International Airport is today celebrating the completion of the extension and renovation of its runway, an upgrade that will effectively allow it to handle direct long-haul flights operated by bigger aircraft. The airport, which serves as the gateway to the country’s main seaside resort, now boasts a 3,300m long runway, which has been […]

Despite the boost of the end of summer holiday traffic, only 650,000 passengers passed through Swedavia’s 10 Swedish airports in August – 83% down on the corresponding month a year ago. Swedavia, which reveals that 3.7 million passengers used its gateways in August 2019, notes that last month’s air traffic recovery “slowed somewhat in late […]

Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport reports that it handled 11.2 million passengers in the first seven months of 2020, including nearly 1.5 million in July. It reveals that the bulk of passenger traffic travelled on Aeroflot, Nordwind Airlines, Rossiya, Ikar, Royal Flight and Air France flights as the airport accommodated 112,998 aircraft movements in the first […]

Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) today announced that its relief package for the airport community will extend for another two months to end of October 2020 in view of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic and continuing political unrest in Hong Kong has had a huge impact on traffic at Hong […]

Munich Airport (MUC) continues to slowly grow its route network, with the gateway currently served by 45 airlines operating services to 140 destinations. The combination of returning airlines and routes meant that the airport handled around 1,100 take-offs a week in early August. The German airport believes that the upturn in traffic reflects the desire […]

Miami International Airport began August with a triple shot of new air services, when it welcomed back three more airlines – each of which is serving international routes. Volaris began serving Guadalajara again on August 2 with two weekly flights, Air Europa resumed weekly service from Madrid on August 3, and SWISS returned on August […]

Saskatchewan’s Moose Jaw Municipal Airport is to receive a C$2.1 million cash injection from the Canadian province and federal government to enhance its airfield and help its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The money will pay for the rehabilitation and expansion of the existing runway and taxiway, ultimately allowing the gateway to accommodate larger planes, […]

As air traffic across the US recovers from the severe and sudden drop in demand as a result of COVID-19, Crawford, Murphy & Tilly (CMT) – a well-established and growing aviation consultancy – wanted to get a clearer picture of what is happening at airports across the country. Using information from the Transportation Security Administration […]

The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) is urging governments to ease what it claims are “unduly onerous restrictions on international air travel” to re-establish global connectivity with evidence-based measures to safeguard public health. More than six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asia Pacific air transport industry notes that it is taking initial steps […]

Amsterdam Schiphol is a vital cargo gateway for the Netherlands and has helped keep essential cargo moving across Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic, writes Justin Burns. Cargo is a vitally important part of the business for Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), which is the main hub for freight into the Netherlands and a key gateway for Europe. […]

Quito International Airport has been given the green light for air traffic to return to 50% of its pre-COVID-19 levels from August 1 after successfully proving the effectiveness of its coronavirus prevention measures to Ecuador’s National Emergency Operations Committee (COE). The airport has had permission to handle up to 30% of its usual airline frequencies […]

ACI World’s World Airport Traffic Report Dataset covering passenger traffic, cargo volumes, and aircraft movements for 2019 provides a timely reminder of why the world needs a healthy aviation industry. In 2019, the world’s airports accommodated 9.1 billion passengers, 120 million metric tonnes of cargo and more than 102 million aircraft movements while the industry […]

ACI World’s external relations manager, Bojana Jeremic, reports on ACI and IATA’s roadmap for the recovery of the aviation industry post COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought airports around the world to a virtual standstill and continues to have a dramatic impact on the wider aviation ecosystem. Most airports are operating at vastly reduced capacity, […]

Today marked another milestone day in Dubai International Airport’s recovery from the COVID-19 as the UAE gateway welcomed the resumption of scheduled operations by foreign carriers. A total of 13 international airlines resumed scheduled flights this week as Dubai, and Dubai International Airport (DXB), effectively opened for business to overseas tourists from July 7. Airlines […]

Virgin Australia will be the first airline to depart on Brisbane’s new runway when it officially opens on Sunday. After eight years of construction and five decades of planning, the new and efficient runway system will provide Brisbane Airport with the greatest runway capacity of any capital city airport in the country. The A$1.1 billion […]

Budapest Airport claims that LOT Polish Airines has shown an “unwavering commitment” to the Hungarian market by launching its 12th and 13th route from Budapest Airport. Increasing the number of new destinations on the airport’s own route map, the Polish airline has commenced weekly services to Dubrovnik (Croatia) and Varna (Bulgaria). Budapest Airport (BUD) notes […]

Airport World provides a global snapshot of how airports have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and are planning for a brighter future. While passenger traffic has almost ground to a halt across the world, air cargo volumes have soared at many airports in the first four months of 2020 as they handled vital goods and […]

Swedish airport operator, Swedavia, has received a SEK3.15 billion cash injection from the government to help it survive the COVID-19 crisis. Swedavia says that the “contribution” from its shareholder, which amounts to around €300,000, will secure the “financial position” of the state owned company. “We welcome our owner’s support in a very difficult situation. Society […]

Based on the latest flight data from Flightradar24, here are some end of week aviation recovery highlights courtesy of ICF. The Chinese domestic flights continue to recover gradually (now at -20% vs last year, compared to -40% a month ago). However, signs of nascent recovery in Chinese international flights has stalled at around -70% compared […]

Amsterdam Schiphol today confirmed that it is still looking at introducing a revolutionary ‘Hyperloop’ ground transport link in the future. The new transport system essentially involves pods capable of holding people, freight and cars being transported at super high speeds inside sealed tubes, that theoretically make it possible to travel hundreds of kilometre distances in […]

ACI Europe reports that Europe’s airports continued to be at an almost complete stand-still during the month of May, with passenger traffic an alarming 98% down on the same period last year. As a result, only 4.3 million passengers travelled through the European network of 500+ airports in May, compared to 216.8 million last year. […]

Irish airport operator, daa, today revealed that it is currently losing €1 million per day and has lost an estimated €160 million in turnover so far this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It notes that it has operations in 16 countries and that the global pandemic has affected all of its businesses, “which […]

Despite the imminent introduction of a mandatory 14-day period of self isolation for all passengers arriving in the UK, London City Airport today announced plans to restart commercial operations from the end of June. With more details to be announced alongside airline partners shortly, it is expected that domestic services to key UK cities and […]

Canberra Airport has announced that passengers are now able to fly without restrictions to Sydney and Melbourne. Head of aviation, Michael Thomson, said that his gateway is open for business, and passengers are safe and secure to fly to and from Melbourne and Sydney for business and leisure. “We are very excited people can now […]

Qatar Airways will resume services to Brisbane Airport this week, the first of three weekly scheduled services from Doha touching down at the Queensland gateway on Thursday. The services will operate under existing bilateral rights until June 30, 2020, with the airline carrying both commercial passengers and freight, providing a critical cargo channel for Australian […]

Dubai International Airport (DXB) handled 17.8 million passengers in the COVID-19 hit first quarter of 2020, 20% down on the corresponding period a year ago. Compared to other airports, DXB fared quite well, and with Emirates announcing yesterday that it will resume operations to nine major cities on May 21 (Chicago, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Melbourne, […]

Heathrow Airport is urging the UK government to outline its strategy for exiting the about to be imposed 14-day quarantine period for the bulk of passengers arriving in the country. The airport believes that a clear exit strategy is vital to assist the UK’s ailing aviation industry, which has seen British Airways, Ryanair and Virgin […]

Hamad International Airport (HIA) has become the latest gateway to report an upturn in cargo volumes, Qatar’s hub handling 530,000 tonnes of freight (+4.7%) during the first quarter of 2020. The increase in cargo is partly attributed to Qatar Airways’ and HIA’s continued efforts to provide freighter services in response to the increased demand for […]

Dublin Airport’s managing director, Vincent Harrison, talks to Joe Bates about a record breaking 2019, a long-awaited new runway, his gateway’s 80th birthday and returning to full operations after COVID-19. Aviation, the global economy and life maybe very much on hold for now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is no doubting that when […]

Swedish airport operator, Swedavia, has furloughed 2,100 staff and is reviewing its investment programme in response to the dramatic fall in passenger traffic since the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic. It notes that although 6.6 million passengers passed through its airports in Q1 2020, traffic has come to a virtual standstill since the second half of […]

ACI Europe has today called for full EU co-ordination and alignment on how current restrictions to air travel should be lifted. The call comes as a number of European states have begun to work on the progressive lifting of confinement measures. EU transport Ministers are also due to meet tomorrow to address the challenge of restoring […]

London Stansted Airport is to use the unprecedented grounding of aircraft across the globe as a unique opportunity to move planned overnight runway maintenance works to daytime hours. Stansted’s 3,048 metre runway undergoes full re-surfacing work every 10 to 15 years but, as with other busy airports, regular heavy maintenance also takes place twice a […]

Dubai International Airport (DXB) has moved quickly to facilitate an increase in the number of cargo operations to increase the volume of perishables and pharmaceuticals. During March 2020, the volume of fruit and vegetables handled at DXB increased by 88.5% (18,164 tonnes) year-on-year, while the volume of pharmaceuticals also increased by 49.4% (12,500 tonnes), driven […]