European airport trade body ACI EUROPE today released its air traffic report for October 2024, revealing sustained growth in passenger traffic across the continent’s airport network.

Passenger numbers increased by a robust +5.5% compared to October 2023, in line with the growth reported in the preceding quarter (+5.2% in Q3). As a result, traffic volumes now stand +3.3% above pre‑pandemic levels (October 2019).

This growth was driven by strong international passenger traffic, which surged +7.1% year‑on‑year, while domestic passenger traffic remained essentially flat at ‑0.1% compared to October 2023. 

Freight & aircraft movements

In October, freight traffic across the European airport network increased by +10.7% overthe same period last year, with EU+ airports at +10.3% and those in the rest of Europe at +13.9%. Despite the growth, freight volumes remained -0.6% below pre‑pandemic levels (October 2019).

Amongst the top 10 European airports for freight traffic, the best performances year‑on‑year came from: Madrid (+20.1%), Liège (+15.4%), Istanbul(+13.8%), Milan‑Malpensa (+8.3%) and Koln‑Bonn (+7%).

Aircraft movements grew by +7.5% in October across the European airport network over the same period last year and stood at -2.5% below pre‑pandemic levels (October 2019).

The integral version of the report (four pages) is attached to this AVIONEWS.