European air passengers end post-pandemic agony

BarcelonaIt has been a long road, but finally, European air transport has managed to overcome the pandemic. It was the economic sector that suffered the greatest impact from the health emergency, not only because everything ground to a halt for months and some countries, like China, took years to reopen their borders, but also because of all the internal crises it triggered. Airlines went into debt to weather the storm and, at the same time, saw costs skyrocket and pilots disappear.

The first signs of recovery were detected in 2021, with more pronounced rebounds in 2022 and 2023 in the aeronautical sector, but it was in 2024 that the sector truly turned the page, with annual growth of 8.3%, according to data published this week. Thus, the total number of European air passengers reached 1.1 billion last year, exceeding the 1 billion recorded in 2019.

(UB) and infrastructure expert, Xavier Fageda. This explains why, having reached pre-pandemic levels, the main growth is occurring in the months beyond the summer season, such as February (+13%), March (+12%), and May (+10%). In contrast, the increases in July (+6%) and August (7%) have been more modest, a trend also observed in airports that have exceeded their theoretical maximum capacity, such as Barcelona.

All European countries registered significant passenger increases during 2024, with Hungary showing the largest increase (+19%), followed by the Czech Republic (+18.9%). Spain was not among the fastest-growing markets, but it was not far behind, with an increase in air travelers of nearly 10%, reaching 259.7 million, the highest figure in Europe, well ahead of the second and third largest countries, Germany (199.5 million) and Italy (182.3 million). "Spain is one of the countries that has recovered the fastest," Fageda points out. This has been influenced by leisure tourism becoming the main driver of air traffic, at the expense of business travel, which has not yet recovered from COVID-19 and has been replaced in many cases by video calls.

In fact, Spain is the European country that handled the most passengers, a leading position it already held before the pandemic, but which has now been further reinforced as a tourism powerhouse, as well as by all the traffic to the Canary and Balearic Islands. In 2019, Spain held first place with 228.3 million passengers; Germany came in second with 226.8 million, a market where business travel played a more significant role. This order has remained unchanged since the pandemic, but the gap between Spain and Germany has widened, increasing from a difference of a few million to more than 60 million.

On the other hand, Spain leads in traffic to and from other EU countries throughout 2024, with 123.8 million passengers, an 11.6% increase compared to 2023. It holds the top position in the ranking, followed at some distance by Germany, with 100.5 million, and Italy, with 92 million. The leadership of Barcelona Airport in European connections plays a key role here, with Vueling, its main airline, playing a prominent role. El Prat is the second busiest airport in Europe in terms of passengers traveling between countries, with 25.9 million, second only to Amsterdam, with 32.4 million. And it is the airport where [the operation/service/etc.] was carried out the route that carried the most passengers in all of Europe During the past year, flights to Palma were the most frequent destination, a figure that also increased compared to the previous year.

Barcelona does not maintain this leadership in terms of intercontinental routes, the main reason cited by Aena. to lengthen the third trackDespite the social backlash it has generated, with a strong emphasis on North American connections, the undisputed leader in this area is Paris Charles de Gaulle (41.4 million). Next come Amsterdam (34.5 million), Frankfurt (32.2 million), Barajas (25.6 million), Rome (16.7 million), Dublin (16.7 million), and Munich (15.1 million). Barcelona doesn't appear until eighth place, with 14.8 million passengers. However, when both types of traffic are combined with domestic flights, El Prat remains among the five most important airports in Europe. with more than 55 million passengersHowever, it was surpassed by Barajas, with 66.1 million.

Flying is more expensive

What everyone agrees on is that, after the pandemic, flying is more expensive. The multiple crises the sector has experienced have played a role. First, there was the rise in oil prices, which represent 30% of airlines' costs, but also the increase in prices in the emissions market, where permits to pollute reached 90 euros per ton. Then came the loans, like those received by the Spanish airline Air Europa, as well as closures, such as Alitalia, which began a new chapter as ITA Airways. Norwegian, based in Barcelona, ​​also underwent a major restructuring process. Costs have been normalizing, but the sector continues to consolidate, with the large groups being the biggest beneficiaries.Turkish Airlines' entry into Air Europa or the interest of IAG, Air France, and Lufthansa in the Portuguese airline TAP. However, passengers aren't seeing the difference in their wallets. "Higher costs, less competition, and strong demand make flying more expensive," says Fageda, adding that this will also put upward pressure on prices. the rate increase that Aena will apply starting next year.