With passenger traffic up by more than 4 % between January and September 2015, French air transport is on the up again. Of course, this is still a long way from the figures achieved in the 1990s or the mid-2000s, when growth oscillated between 5% and 8%. But it is indeed a real upturn, as indicated by the observation office of the French Civil Aviation Authority (Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile). September even saw a double-digit rise in passenger numbers (+13.3 %). This result should be put into perspective, however, as the comparison is based on September 2014, which was marked over the last fortnight by the industrial dispute at Air France, which resulted in a fall in traffic of almost 6%. This exceptional figure is therefore more a question of catching up.
Be that as it may, 2015 is shaping up to be one of the best years of the decade. All geographical markets are showing growth, with the exception of passenger traffic between mainland France and the French overseas territories, which is down slightly by 0.8 % over the first three quarters. Traffic between France and Africa was also down by 1.6 % over the same period, with some destinations on that continent facing security problems, notably Tunisia, down by more than 12 %.
On the other hand, Asia and the European Union are supporting growth in French air transport. The Asia-Pacific region recorded the strongest growth (+7.3 %), thanks in particular to increases of almost 20 % for India and 14 % for China. Europe, meanwhile, posted a rise of 6.6 % for European Union countries and just 0.5 % for other European countries. The economic crisis in Russia and the Franco-Russian dispute are weighing on air traffic, which fell by 14.5 % between January and September. The Americas, on the other hand, recorded an increase of 5.8 % in passengers departing from France.
Against this backdrop, the Air France-KLM group is reporting positive results. Taking all airlines together - Air France, KLM, HOP! and Transavia - the Franco-Dutch carrier welcomed almost 60 million passengers between January and September, an increase of 2.6 %. In this context, long-haul activity recorded the highest growth rate (+3.7 %), with Latin America and Asia driving this growth. With an increase of almost 9 % over nine months, the best performance on the airline side was posted by Transavia, whose rise to prominence is being confirmed.
