The Association of European Airports (ACI Europe) published its report on the connectivity of the airport industry in Europe on 2 July 2024. The report, unveiled at the 34e ACI Europe's annual conference and general meeting, uses the connectivity indices created by SEO Amsterdam Economics and offers the most comprehensive tool for assessing and ranking airport connectivity.
The 2024 findings indicate that total air connectivity (direct and indirect) in Europe remains below pre-pandemic levels. This certainly represents a slight improvement on 2023 (-16 %). But this contrasts sharply with the surge in passenger traffic. As a result, passengers are higher travel costs due to fewer route options.
The report also shows how geopolitical tensions and structural changes in the aviation market are leading to changes in connectivity patterns. As well as significant variations in performance between national and individual airport markets.
Connectivity underperforms in 2019
In detail, total air connectivity on the EU+3 markets (European Union + Iceland, Norway, United Kingdom and Switzerland) was -13 % compared with 2019 levels. Geopolitical tensions led the non-EU market (essentially the former Soviet republics, the former Yugoslavia and Turkey) to record a significant underperformance of -20 %.
This is mainly due to the fact that Ukrainian airports have lost all air connectivityRussia (-43%) and Belarus (-87%) recorded spectacular falls in their total air connectivity. Israel (-42%) also suffered significant losses in this area due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
In addition to geopolitics, structural changes in the aviation market - in particular the predominance of demand for leisure and visiting friends and relatives (VFR) and the expansion of very low-cost carriers (LCCs) - are also influencing the performance of national markets. In the EU+ market, only three countries have fully recovered and are in the process of doing so. exceeded their connectivity levels total air traffic before the pandemic. These are Greece (+22%), Iceland (+7%) and Portugal (+4%).
Central Europe and Scandinavia lag behind
At the back of the pack, Finland (-37 %), Sweden (-31 %), Slovenia (-29 %) as well as the Czech Republic and Austria (both -28 %) saw a sharp deterioration. Performances on the largest EU+ markets were also mediocre. The best performance comes from Spainwhich is heavily dependent on tourism (-2%). On the other hand, connectivity continues to deteriorate in the UK (-12%) and France (-15%). In France, the strong reduction in domestic lines explains this under-performance.
Germany remains the red lantern, with connectivity down to -24%. A large number of flights - both domestic and regional - have completely gone due to high airport taxes. Nuremberg, for example, despite its four million passengers, has seen its domestic and regional network pruned by around ten airlines (see box).
On the non-EU+ market, the best performances in terms of total air connectivity were recorded by Albania (+55%), Uzbekistan (+29%) and Turkey (+24%).
Istanbul, Amsterdam-Schiphol and London-Heathrow hubs in the lead
Istanbul (+9% since 2019) ranks first in Europe for its direct connectivity, while the platform ranked 5e position by 2019. The Turkish hub has the best direct connectivity with the Middle East and the second best with Asia-Pacific. The latter increased by +23% compared with last year.
Amsterdam-Schiphol (-6 %) comes second, largely thanks to its excellent connectivity within Europe. However, compared with 2023, its connectivity has deteriorated with Asia-Pacific (-1 %) and especially with Latin America (-28 %). London-Heathrow (-2%) is almost on a par with Amsterdam-Schiphol. The hub has almost fully recovered its direct connectivity levels compared to 2019. Heathrow remains unrivalled for its direct connectivity to North America, which is almost twice that of its next competitor (Paris-CDG).
Among the top 20 airports in terms of direct connectivity, it is mainly the southern European airports (except Dublin) that are exceeding their pre-pandemic levels. These include Athens (+17%), Palma de Mallorca (+8%), Dublin (+3%), Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen (+3%), Lisbon (+3%) and Rome-Fiumicino (0%). This result is due to the predominance of leisure and low-cost flights. This result reflects an improvement in the direct connectivity offered by low-cost carriers since 2019, at +18%. At the same time, direct connectivity offered by traditional carriers fell by -16%.
Olivier Jankovec, Managing Director of ACI Europe, said: " This year's report shows that air connectivity should not be taken for granted. This is particularly relevant at a time when Europe is redefining its strategic direction for the next five years with a focus on competitiveness and cohesion. Given that every 10 % increase in direct air connectivity leads to a 0.5 % increase in GDP per capita, there is no doubt that air connectivity is an essential element of this competitiveness. " .
Why has aerial Germany become Europe's dunce?Klaus-Peter Willsch, PRO-Flughafen Association, Member of the German Parliament and Chairman of the Parliamentary Group on Aerospace. In the margins of the RMO Aviation Event in Chisinau at the end of May, he explained why German air transport is still lagging behind. |
" Today, there are many factors contributing to the downgrading of air transport in Germany. A strong environmental lobby that dates back many decades. We remember the battles between environmentalists and the authorities over the construction of a third runway at Frankfurt. Or the setbacks surrounding a new airport near Hamburg. The project was shelved for 40 years and finally buried. The current coalition government in Berlin, which includes the Greens, has demonstrated from the outset that it is not prepared to compromise on the issue. his hostility to air transport".says Klaus-Peter Willsch.
" The government has decided to increase taxes on air travel significantly. Since May, a new tax has been applied to airline tickets. It represents an increase of almost 20% and will bring in 1.5 billion euros. This compares with €1.1 billion in 2022. This tax should continue to rise over the next few years. It could generate additional revenue of more than 550 million euros".he describes.
In concrete terms, ticket prices have increased by 20% on average. In Europe, for example, domestic flights will cost 15.53 euros, compared with 12.72 euros in 2023. And almost 71 euros on flights over 6,000 km, compared with 58 euros in 2023. The increase in taxes has therefore contributed to making many airlines more expensive. unprofitable. At Nuremberg, for example, domestic services to Berlin, Bremen, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Hanover have disappeared. But this also applies to flights to Copenhagen, Vienna and Zurich. These last two destinations are hubs of the Lufthansa Group.
How does Klaus-Peter Willsch see the future of air transport in Germany? " I sense a backlash against punitive forms of ecology. Many of our fellow citizens feel penalised - particularly when it comes to their holidays. The regions are also protesting because they have lost indispensable connectivity to their economy. I think that a future government, if it returns to the Conservative CDU, should put things right." .
