VINCI Airports Hit 90 Million Passengers in third quarter, Boosted by Mediterranean and Long-Haul Travel

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

In the following paragraphs, unless otherwise specified, the variations refer to traffic levels in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

Over 90 million passengers passed through VINCI Airports’ network last quarter, reflecting a 6.4% increase from 2023. The summer season in Europe was bolstered by leisure travel to summer destinations, particularly around the Mediterranean. This surge significantly boosted the performance of Edinburgh and Budapest airports, both recent additions to the VINCI Airports network. The quarter also saw robust growth in long-haul international travel, especially transatlantic routes. Countries that had already shown strong traffic recovery compared to 2019—such as Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Serbia, and Portugal—continued to experience growth compared to 2023, despite the high comparison base.

Leisure travel played a major role in the strong performance this quarter, supported by increased airline capacity and high load factors, exemplified by the results at London Gatwick Airport. Long-haul traffic, particularly to Asia and the United States, also continued to develop at Gatwick. In Portugal, demand remained strong, with very high load factors (+3 points vs 2019; +1.2 points vs 2023), alongside a significant increase in seat availability, particularly from TAP and easyJet. This growth spanned both regional traffic (domestic and European) and long-haul international traffic (North America, Brazil). In Budapest, routes to major European capitals saw a notable increase in seat supply from Wizz Air (+32%) and Ryanair (+22%). At Edinburgh, European leisure routes to Spain, Germany, and Italy fueled growth, driven largely by Jet2’s strong performance.

The quarter also saw a rapid recovery in Japan, particularly on routes with China. Several Chinese and Japanese airlines increased seat capacity following the reopening of numerous routes between Kansai International Airport and major Chinese cities. Traffic to China surged by 90%, with significant growth on routes to Shanghai (+61%) and Beijing (+79%). Other regional routes also performed well, with strong passenger numbers to Hong Kong (+35%), Taiwan (+15%), and South Korea (+4%), along with stable domestic travel demand.

Elsewhere, traffic remained strong. Santiago de Chile Airport saw a clear recovery in regional traffic to Brazil and Argentina, supported by increased capacity from airlines such as LATAM (+21%) and Avianca (+24%). Long-haul routes to Spain were also particularly popular. Cabo Verde continued to attract a growing number of European travelers, further boosting its traffic numbers.

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