As at the vast majority of airports in Europe, Euroairport Basel-Mulhousethe largest in the region Great East but also the third largest airport in Switzerland, continued to return to traffic levels more in line with its importance. Last year, the airport recorded passenger traffic of "only" 11%, below its record for 2019. The year before Covid, the Franco-Swiss hub welcomed 9.1 million passengers.
Business traffic down
In 2023, Basel-Mulhouse has once again exceeded the eight million passenger mark. The hub welcomed exactly 8.1 million passengers, representing an increase in passenger traffic of 15% compared with 2022. 29 airlines offered connections to around a hundred destinations. They were all in Europe or around the Mediterranean basin.
The pre-eminence of sun destinations around the Mediterranean shows a considerable change in passenger typology. Travel for family reasons has risen sharply, while purely leisure travel has remained stable. business travel down. By 2024, the airport expects to handle 8.4 million passengers.
Last year, the airport published a strategic plan covering the coming years until the end of the decade. The main thrusts of this plan include improved quality of service as well as the authoritarian reduction of the carbon footprint of the airport in all areas of activity.
Decarbonisation represents a major challenge for the air transport sector. By introducing an additional tax on night flights, the airport has virtually eliminated flights after 10pm, helping to reduce noise pollution. At the same time, various measures have been adopted to reduce CO2 emissions, with the airport pledging to become "net zero carbon" by 2030.
Quality of service to be reviewed
In terms of service quality, however, much remains to be done. The last expansion of the hub dates back to 2000/2002 with the inauguration of the Y pier where aircraft park, as well as two extensions on either side of the terminal.
Since then, a number of changes have been made that are more aesthetic in nature. But above all Euroairport regularly experiences periods of congestion. Passengers also face a more complex journey due to more stringent security measures. A "Modular Terminal Evolution" project is designed to remedy the terminal's structural weaknesses.
More random, the TER/S-Bahn regional train project must direct links from the airport to Mulhouse, Strasbourg and Basel. The project has been on the drawing board since the 1980s. To build the 6 km of track that will link the platform to the Strasbourg-Mulhouse-Basel TER line, SNCF was counting on 2024 to start work.. There is now talk of another 5-year delay…
