Political relations between France and Africa may be a bit of a rollercoaster, but there is at least one area where everything is going swimmingly: air transport. The number of passengers from France on theAfrica posted the strongest growth of all international routes. This is what the DGAC in its latest air transport situation report for July.
The French air transport authority points out that while international air passenger traffic reaches 95% of 2019 figures for the first 7 months of the year, l'Africa is progressing much more quickly. Passenger numbers in the France-Africa segment now account for almost 112% of 2019 traffic. A total of 12.4 million passengers.
In July 2023, passenger traffic was even 17% higher than in July 2019.. The DGAC only gives details of traffic to North Africa. Cumulative over 7 months, France-Morocco traffic is 16.5% higher than in 201912.3% on France-Tunisia and 9.4% on France-Algeria.
France-European Union trade should return to its 2019 level by the end of the year
Africa is therefore almost 15 percentage points ahead of the France-European Union axis.the second most dynamic aviation market. It completed 96.9% of the 2019 total for the first seven months of the year. According to the DGAC, this translates into 38.86 million passengers between France and the European Union. By the end of the year, traffic with the EU is likely to be at least equal to, if not slightly higher than, that recorded in 2019.
With 8.50 million passengers between January and July 2023, France-Americas traffic represents 95% of the 2019 figures.. Asia continues to lag behind. Its level of traffic over the first seven months corresponds to just 76% of the 2019 figures. A result weighed down by traffic trends France-China. Cumulatively, this represents in 2023 just over a quarter of the traffic in 2019. France-Japan accounts for 54% of its pre-Covid traffic.
We also note that domestic traffic in 2023 will recover more slowly than international traffic. Domestic routes in mainland France recorded 12.28 million passengers between January and July. This represents 78.4% of the 2019 figures. Particularly lagging behind: the Paris-Toulouse route, which is only 68% away from its 2019 level. Or Bordeaux-Lyon, also at 69% of its pre-Covid level. Are calls to limit air travel in France finally resonating with travellers?
