ACI EUROPE today releases its air traffic report for September and the third quarter (Q3) of 2023 -a peak period for European air travel.

Passenger traffic across the European airport network increased by +12.1% in Q3 compared to the same period last year. Despite persistently higher air fares and enduring pressures from rising inflation, the summer months showed a very robust performance overall. 

When compared to pre-pandemic (Q3 2019) levels, passenger traffic in Q3 stood at -3.1%, marking a significant improvement over the first half of the year (-7.7%), and signifying continued progress towards reaching 2019 traffic levels.

Milestones were reached during Q3, when London-Heathrow - Europe’s busiest airport by passenger volume - surpassed its 2019 traffic performance for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and nearly half of Europe’s airports had recovered their 2019 traffic volumes (48%).

Freight and aircraft movements 

In Q3, freight traffic across the European airport network decreased by -3% compared to the same period last year, with EU+ airports weathering a -2.8% decrease and those in the rest of Europe at -4.4%. Overall, freight traffic remains at a significant -9.8% deficit compared to pre-pandemic (Q3 2019) levels. 

Amongst the top 10 European airports for freight traffic, the best performances in Q3 when compared to pre-pandemic volumes came from: Milan-MXP (+22.9%), Istanbul (+19.5%), Leipzig-Halle (+15.5%), Madrid (+15.1%) and Liège (+12.6%). 

Aircraft movements increased by +7.8% in Q3 across the European airport network compared to the same period last year, with airports in the EU+ market showing a +7.0% increase, while those in the rest of Europe reported +12.1%.

The integral version (five pages) is attached to this AVIONEWS.