Dublin Growth More Than Twice Europe Average
Dublin passenger numbers increased by 12.9% in May, compared to a European average of 5.6%, said ACI Europe in its latest monthly analysis.
The organisation indicated that Ireland is to the forefront in the continued strong performance of EU air travel.
EU passenger traffic at EU airports grew by 5.8% in May, while growth at airports elsewhere in Europe averaged 5%.
Said ACI Europe Director General Olivier Jankovec: “EU passenger traffic continues to perform strongly, led by airports in Ireland, Greece, Portugal, Belgium, Spain and Hungary – as well as smaller markets including Slovenia, Croatia, Malta and Luxembourg.
“Greece in particular has been a top performer for more than 12 months, with passenger traffic consistently achieving double digit growth.
“However, the current situation in the country is now causing a decrease in forward bookings – an indication that this dynamic trend is unlikely to persist, at least in the short-term. This may lead to part of the leisure demand moving to other markets.”
He added “Non-EU passenger traffic is posting its best growth rate this year so far, despite figures generally decreasing at Russian airports. The improvement is mainly driven by airports in Turkey, Iceland and Georgia, as well as the return of growth in Ukraine.”
On the downside, ACI Europe said freight traffic across the European airport network declined by 0.4%, reflecting the relative weakness of economic growth in the EU, the continued impact of sanctions on Russia, along with other structural factors. Aircraft movements were up +1.4%.
Among Europe’s largest airports, the biggest growth during May was seen at Madrid (+12.8%), Istanbul IST (+11.7%), Amsterdam (+7.9%), Zurich (+6.2%) and Barcelona (+6.1%)
Among airports in the 5-25 million passenger category, the biggest growth was at Istanbul SAW (+23.1%), Athens (+22.3%), Izmir ADB (+13.8%), Ankara (+13.1%) and Dublin (+12.9%)