Bratislava Airport Recorded One of the Best Summer Seasons in Its History
During the four summer months, from June to September, M. R. Štefánik Airport handled a total of 1.1 million passengers on arrivals and departures. This is one of the best summer results in the airport's history. Most summer vacationers departed from Bratislava to Turkish Antalya, Hurghada in Egypt, Larnaca in Cyprus, Burgas in Bulgaria, as well as Alghero on Italian Sardinia and the island of Malta.
"In June, we recorded the highest monthly number of passengers in the history of Bratislava Airport, with 246,000 travelers. In the following months, we saw the third-best monthly figures in the 73-year history of the airport, with passenger numbers exceeding 300,000 in both July and August. Taking all four months into account, this year's summer season will rank among the top three best summer seasons in the history of the airport," summarized Dušan Novota, General Director and Chairman of the Board of M. R. Štefánik Airport.
One of the factors contributing to the airport's best summer operational results was the increase in planned flights to Antalya, Larnaca, and Hurghada compared to last year, new regular routes to Istanbul and Antalya with Pegasus Airlines and Corendon Airlines, and a more stable season without flight cancellations.
"The first flights to Antalya in Turkey were planned by travel agencies from Bratislava Airport as early as May, and many agencies are offering holidays in Turkey, Madeira, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, and other destinations even in October. We can see that the summer season is extending beyond the traditional summer holidays, with many vacationers preferring the beginning or end of summer when temperatures at resorts are still pleasant, but the destinations are less crowded," noted Roman Berkes, President of the Slovak Association of Travel Agencies.
The strongest month of the year at Bratislava Airport was July, with 327,687 passengers on arrivals and departures, while August was the busiest month last year. The busiest day was also recorded in July, specifically on July 28, when the airport handled 12,602 passengers in a single day. In July, the number of passengers surpassed the million mark on July 25, while last year it happened a bit later, on August 3.
"Holidays with departures from Bratislava are not ending with the upcoming winter season. Travel agencies have prepared a diverse offer of exotic destinations that travelers can fly to during this year's autumn and winter directly from Bratislava Airport, including flights to the Thai island of Phuket, Mauritius, Zanzibar, Cuba (Holguín), Vietnam (Phu Quoc Island), the Dominican Republic, as well as Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, and Dubai," added airport director Dušan Novota.
Exotic flights to Phuket and Mauritius will be operated for the first time in the airport's history by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from Neos, with a capacity of 355 passengers and a business light class. These flights are offered by travel agency Čedok.
In October, travel agency Der Touristik (CK Fischer and Kartágo) will also launch a series of exotic flights with an Airbus A330 operated by World2Fly. In addition to package holidays, they are introducing a new option – the ability to purchase individual tickets for economy or business class. Business class passengers will enjoy priority check-in, extra baggage allowance, complimentary access to the Mastercard Caproni lounge at Bratislava Airport, more exclusive meals and beverages onboard, and even reclining seats with a lie-flat option. The business class upgrade starts at €349 per flight, and round-trip tickets to exotic destinations can be purchased at travel agency branches starting at €1,069.