Athens Airport shines in Europe’s aviation recovery, leads October 2024 growth – Travel And Tour World

Athens International Airport (AIA) has emerged as the top-performing mega airport in Europe for October 2024, with an impressive 30.9% increase in passenger traffic compared to pre-pandemic 2019, according to the latest air traffic data from Airports Council International Europe (ACI Europe).

This significant growth positions Athens as a key player in Greece’s aviation sector, contributing to a national rise of 32.4% in passenger traffic during the same period.

Regional Successes Highlight Greece’s Tourism Appeal

In addition to Athens’ stellar performance, other Greek airports, such as Skiathos International Airport (JSI), reported extraordinary growth.

Skiathos saw a remarkable 162.9% increase in passenger traffic, ranking among the top-performing medium-sized airports in Europe.

These results underscore Greece’s robust recovery, highlighting its growing appeal as a major destination for both tourism and business.

Athens Airport outperformed several other major European airports, including Palma de Mallorca (+19.4%), Lisbon (+13.3%), Manchester (+12.4%), and Istanbul (ISG) (+11.7%).

Moreover, Athens continued its momentum with a 10.1% year-on-year increase in passenger traffic compared to October 2023, further demonstrating its sustained growth.

Europe’s Airports Continue Strong Growth

Across Europe, passenger traffic saw a healthy 5.5% year-on-year increase in October 2024, with overall volumes now 3.3% above pre-pandemic levels (October 2019).

International travel was a key driver of this growth, up 7.1%, while domestic traffic remained stable, showing a slight decrease of -0.1% compared to the same period last year.

Within the EU+ market, which includes the EU, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and the UK, passenger traffic rose by 5.7%, surpassing pre-pandemic levels by 3.9%.

Majors Perform Well, Rome, Barcelona, and Madrid Lead

Passenger traffic at Europe’s major airports, those handling over 40 million passengers annually, grew by 4.9% in October compared to the previous year.

This brings these airports just 0.7% above pre-pandemic levels. Rome-Fiumicino (+15.1%), Barcelona (+8.2%), and Madrid (+5.5%) were standout performers in this category.

Market Trends and Resilience Amid Challenges

ACI Europe’s Director General, Olivier Jankovec, noted the changing dynamics of Europe’s airport recovery, particularly the extended demand for travel during the shoulder season, beyond the traditional summer peak.

He highlighted that this shift in travel patterns reflects a strong demand for leisure and visits to friends and relatives (VFR) well into the autumn months.

Despite rising airfares, which have increased by an average of 30% compared to pre-Covid levels, and ongoing economic and geopolitical challenges, Jankovec emphasized the resilience of passenger demand across Europe.

However, he pointed out that recovery rates have varied significantly across different national markets, with 45% of European airports still operating below pre-pandemic traffic levels in October.

Diverging National Recovery Rates

The report also highlighted varying recovery speeds across European countries. While Italy (+9.1%) and Spain (+6.2%) recorded strong year-on-year growth, Germany’s recovery has been slower.

Despite a 4.1% increase in passenger traffic in October 2024 compared to October 2023, German airports remain 12.1% below pre-2019 levels.

ACI attributes this lag to national aviation policies, including taxation, which have hindered the recovery of air connectivity and market performance.