European countries such as Hungary, Slovakia, and Croatia achieved notable double-digit growth
Europe witnessed an increase in passenger traffic for January 2025 as European airport trade body, ACI Europe reports that the passenger numbers rose by 6.9 pc compared to the same period last year, closely aligning with the annual performance of 2024, which saw a 7.4 pc increase.
In a press statement ACI Europe says that non-European airports outpaced their European counterparts, reporting double-digit year-on-year growth of 11.4 pc, while European airports showed a more modest increase of 6 pc.
The statement adds that the international passenger traffic drove this growth, rising by 8.3 pc, while domestic passenger numbers rose only slightly, by 2.7 pc, and remained 12.5 pc below pre-pandemic levels.
The statement adds that within the European market, countries such as Hungary, Slovakia, and Croatia achieved notable double-digit growth, with increases of 16.5 pc, 14.4 pc, and 13.8 pc, respectively, but however, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, and Slovenia underperformed due to economic challenges, aviation taxes, and capacity restrictions at key airports like Dublin.
According to the statement, non-European countries saw dynamic recovery, with Israel leading at 77.7 pc growth, followed by Moldova at 62 pc rise and Bosnia and Herzegovina reporting 50.1 pc jump.
The statement says that however, some markets declined, notably Russia by 9.9 pc and North Macedonia by 9.1 pc, while Ukraine’s airports remain closed due to the ongoing war.
ACI Europe says that among Europe’s largest airports, Istanbul topped the list with 6.4 million passengers, marking a 7.1 pc increase year-on-year, London Heathrow followed closely with 6.3 million passengers, up 5.3 pc, while Paris-CDG saw the highest percentage growth among majors at 10.5 pc.
The statement adds that small airports, handling under 1 million passengers annually, posted a strong recovery with a 19.7 pc increase in passenger traffic compared to January 2024 but remain significantly below pre-pandemic levels, at 31.9 pc below.
As per the report, freight traffic declined by 9.1 pc year-on-year in January, with only a few major airports like Madrid showing gains and aircraft movements grew by 4.6 pc, yet remain below pre-pandemic levels at 7.9 pc.
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