(Boursier.com) — The airports of the VINCI Airports network welcomed nearly 32 million passengers in the 4th quarter of 2021, a figure down 46% compared to the same period of 2019, but representing more than double the traffic of the 4th quarter of 2020. Over the whole of 2021, some 86 million passengers were welcomed, i.e. traffic down 66% compared to 2019, and up 12% compared to 2020.
After very encouraging results in October and November (respectively -48% and -44%), the end of the year was marked by a context of resurgence of the epidemic in certain countries due to the emergence of the Omicron variant . However, unlike at the end of 2020, governments have not resorted to too strong travel restriction measures, preferring to rely on screening and the high rate of vaccinated population in most countries.
In most of the network’s airports, the recovery in passenger traffic therefore continued in the 4th quarter of 2021. In detail, in the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica, traffic continues to hold close to its level reached in 2019. Portugal, the United Kingdom, Serbia and Chile, the number of passengers carried is two to four times higher than the traffic of the 4th quarter of 2020. In addition, Cambodia and Chile have reopened this quarter – after months of closure – their borders to international travellers. Illustrating this recovery trend, the average load factor of aircraft operating on the VINCI Airports network exceeded 70% in October and November, for the first time since the start of the crisis.
In the paragraphs below, and unless otherwise specified, variations refer to 2021 traffic levels compared to those of the same period of 2019.
Traffic at Portuguese airports returned in the 4th quarter of 2021 to a level equivalent to 73% of traffic in the same quarter of 2019 (x3.2 compared to the 4th quarter of 2020), an improvement of nearly 19 points compared to the previous quarter. Passenger numbers on connections with the main European capitals increased particularly in October and November during the autumn holidays (-18% with Orly, -11% with Amsterdam, -12% with Geneva, +2% with London Heathrow). The pace of recovery, however, showed some signs of slowing at the end of the year due to the fifth wave of the epidemic.
In the UK, traffic at London Gatwick airport continued to recover. The autumn holiday period as well as the relaxation of the rules for entering British territory in October and November particularly benefited international connections: Dublin (from -68% in Q3 to -41% in Q4), Tenerife ( from -79% to -52%), Lanzarote (from -75% to -26%), Malaga (from -83% to -66%). The easing of the criteria for entering the territory of the United Kingdom from the beginning of January should encourage this trend, as will the additional capacities announced for the coming months by British Airways (reopening of a base for its short-haul flights with 18 aircraft by the end of May) and Wizz Air (opening of 14 new direct routes and 4 new base aircraft).
The autumn holiday period also benefited the airports of the VINCI Airports network in France, where traffic gained around 20 points in Nantes and Lyon over this period. Passengers departing from Nantes favored holiday destinations such as Nice (+23%) or Barcelona (+30%). This increase then ran out of steam with the 5th epidemic wave. Several companies (such as Volotea, Transavia, Swiss, Corsair) have confirmed the opening of new lines to Nantes or Lyon from December or for the next summer season, suggesting an acceleration in traffic in the months to come.
The number of passengers welcomed this quarter in Belgrade in Serbia is down 40% compared to the same quarter of 2019. Flight demand was particularly strong on the destinations of Istanbul (+8%) and Dubai (+19%). ). Traffic could intensify in the coming months thanks to the reinforcement by Air Serbia of the capacities of its Belgrade hub: resumption of routes to Nice, Madrid and Venice and a new route between Belgrade and Nis.
In Japan, traffic increased by 23 points during the quarter, thanks to the resumption of domestic flights following the lifting of the state of emergency at the end of September (-29% in December), while the borders have remained since several months closed.
In the United States, traffic at Orlando Sanford airport increased by nearly 30 points over the quarter thanks to a lull in the epidemic in the country. On some routes the number of passengers transported approached or even exceeded the pre-pandemic level, on destinations such as Asheville (-6%), Allentown (+5%) or Harrisburg (-5%). This quarter, the airport welcomed new international routes with Canada (Toronto), operated by Swoop airlines and Flair airlines.
Traffic at airports in the Dominican Republic stabilized over the quarter at a level very close to its pre-pandemic level. Some connections strongly contributed to the dynamism of traffic, in particular flights between Santo Domingo and Miami (+27%) or Madrid (+40%). Faced with the strong demand on this last route, the Iberia company again increased the frequency of weekly service to 13 flights in November. This destination is now the first in Latin America where Iberia offers significantly more flights than before the pandemic. Traffic was down in December due to operational disruptions in the United States (flight cancellations due to staff shortages).
The increase in traffic towards its pre-crisis level at Salvador de Bahia airport in Brazil was confirmed this quarter. The GOL company opened more than 20 new destinations in December thanks to the creation of two new connection beaches per day. This resulted in strong attendance on flights to São Paulo (VCP +48%), Rio (SDU +99%), Belo Horizonte (+11%). In December, the airport reached an important stage in its development: for the first time in its history, it was connected directly to all the capitals of the south of the country. Finally, 6 new destinations will be opened in January: Porto Velho, Montes Claros, São José do Rio Preto, Cuiabá, Belém, Florianópolis.
In Chile, traffic was up 25 points compared to the previous quarter. This momentum is explained by the very strong passenger numbers on domestic lines (-12% over the whole quarter compared to the same period in 2019) and, to a lesser extent, by the increase in traffic on certain international lines since the reopening of borders on October 1 (Bogota from -76% in Q3 to -36% in Q4, Miami MIA from -61% to -10%).