European airports end year with record passenger numbers

European airports wrapped up the year with record passenger numbers. Several hubs have announced reaching their milestones, with Paris Airports, including the second busiest airport in Europe by passenger numbers in 2016, exceeding 100 million pax earlier in December 2017.

Paris Aéroport, including Paris-Orly and Paris Charles de Gaulle airports, announced a “symbolic threshold of 100 million passengers in a year” on December 21, 2017. The airports attributed the achievement to the “hard work” of attracting more air traffic and developing connectivity.

In a press statement Groupe ADP, which manages the named airports and Paris-Le Bourget, stated that in “ten years, the number of passengers travelling through Paris has risen by 13.6 million and the capacities at both Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris Orly airports have considerably increased to support the airlines’ development. Along with this growth, a special attention is given to the impact on neighbouring communities within the frame of noise control regulations (the capping of airline movements at Paris-Orly Airport and the monitoring of noise levels at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport)”.

“We are proud and happy to celebrate this historic record with our passengers,” said Augustin de Romanet, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Groupe ADP. “This symbolic figure is an illustration of how vital and attractive the Paris airports are, and it was reached thanks to the day-to-day efforts and know-how of Groupe ADP employees and of the entire airport community. The collective aim of the people that make this airport is to offer passengers a memorable experience and to encourage them to travel. Our airports are not just transit areas, they are genuine living facilities conducive to working, learning, discovering, having fun and being charmed.”

December 2017 is also a busy time for smaller European airports, such as Milan Bergamo and Václav Havel Airport Prague, that both announced reaching their milestone numbers.

Prague Airport serviced 15 million passengers in 2017 ─ which is the greatest number in its 80-year-long history as well as an increase from the previous record of 13 million passengers in December 2016. The largest airport in the Czech Republic notes it has been reporting records in operational results all year and became one of the fastest growing airports in Europe in the category of airports handling 10-25 million passengers a year. The results are attributed to the growing attractivity of Prague and the willingness of Czechs to spend more money on their travels abroad.

“We are proud that in a less than a year, we can announce reaching another important milestone in the airport’s history,” said Václav Řehoř, Prague Airport Chairman of the Board of Directors. “We owe thanks for yet another record-breaking result to all passengers who still more often choose Václav Havel Airport Prague as starting or final destination on their journey. We must also thank our employees, primarily for their ongoing efforts to offer our passengers the highest quality services even in times of significantly busier operations”.

Milan Bergamo Airport also announced reaching 12 million passengers in 2017 – the highest pax number in its history. The Italian airport stated it experienced a 10% growth on average throughout 2017, launched 20 new flights and attracted three new airlines – Arkia Israeli Airlines, Ernest Airlines and Ukraine International Airlines – increasing its portfolio to 17 scheduled carriers.

“After breaking our passenger traffic record in 2016, it’s a rewarding time to watch our development continue for another year,” enthuses Emilio Bellingardi, General Director, SACBO. “We are only able to reach our goals with everyone at the airport working together, welcoming over one million more passengers than we did last year speaks volumes for our hard work. We will continue to do all we can to ensure Milan Bergamo remains an attractive market for our partners and our customers”.

Source – AeroTime

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