European Airports Expect 187 Million Fewer Travellers

The European airports will be processed by the coronavirus this year by up to 187 million passengers. This is what branch organization ACI Europe expects.

Director-General Olivier Jankovec is, therefore, talking about “a shock of an unprecedented magnitude”. The most significant blow falls in the first quarter.

The decrease with 187 million passengers means a reduction of 7.5 percent compared to last year. The sector counted on a 2.3 percent growth for the virus outbreak.

In the first quarter, 67 million fewer passengers take the plane, which means a decrease of 13.5 percent.

As a result, all European airports together receive around € 1.3 billion less in the first three months, such as landing fees, fees for services to airlines and revenue from purchases by passengers.

“Airports in Italy are of course the hardest hit,” says Jankovec. But airports elsewhere in Europe are also struggling. The ACI, therefore, calls on the European Union to make emergency aid possible so that airports can continue to play their role as “critical infrastructure”.