Routes and Airports Channel

Airport traffic falls 5% in June as downturn flattens

By Sandra Arnoult
ATW's Airports Today, August, 2009, p.2

World airport passenger traffic fell 5% in June compared to June 2008 to 262.3 million, which represented a slowing of the downward trend from May, when traffic was down 8% year-over-year, according to Airports Council International.

International traffic declined 7.7% in June while domestic traffic dipped 2.5% based on data from airports participating in the association's passenger and freight "flash reports." For the first half of 2009, the corresponding decreases were 8% and 5.4% respectively. Airports in the Middle East region showed the strongest performance, with June passenger throughput up 6.3%. Every other region showed a decline, led by European (-7.7%) and North American airports (-6.6%). The Asia/Pacific region was down just 1.6%.

Freight exhibited the same trend, with June tonnage loaded and unloaded at airports down 13.5% compared to the year-ago period. This represented a sequential improvement compared to May, when total freight handled by airports fell about 16% year-over-year.

Separately, ACI released final results for 2008 showing that airports experienced near-flat traffic growth last year, with the total number of arriving and departing passengers at 4.87 billion, representing a 0.1% increase compared to 2007. A record 1,357 airports, which account for 98% of global airport traffic, are included in the report released in July.

"With overall passenger numbers hovering at 4.8 billion in both 2007 and 2008 we are a long way from the dynamic 6.8 % growth witnessed in 2007," said ACI World DG Angela Gittens. "The relentless climb of oil prices which spiked in July and the turbulent financial and economic climate, which emerged in the second half of 2008, countered positive results achieved in the first two quarters of the year." In 2008, domestic freight dropped more than 5.4% while international freight was reduced by 2.4%. Aircraft movements totaled 77 million, a 2.1% decline over 2007.

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