ACI figures show solid European traffic growth

John Rimmer

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Passenger traffic across Europe's airports grew by 5.8% last year, according to figures released by ACI Europe

Figures released by ACI Europe today show that passenger traffic at European airports grew by 5.8% in 2005. Small airports welcoming less than 5m passengers annually registered the most rapid growth, with Riga (up by 76.6%), Rome Ciampino (66.6%) and Valencia (49.4%) among the top performers.

Of airports with annual traffic of 25m or more, Barcelona recorded the highest growth, of 10.5%. Traffic at rival Spanish airport Madrid Barajas grew by 8.4%, while Munich (6.7%) and Paris Charles de Gaulle (4.9%) also enjoyed solid growth.

Second-tier airports with traffic of between 10m and 25m recorded average growth of 6.3%. Moscow Domodedovo continued its impressive development with traffic growth of 15.6%. Traffic at Prague Ruzyne increased by 11.1%, Dublin by 7.7% and Milan Malpensa by 5.7%.

Airports with annual traffic between 5m and 10m also enjoyed strong growth. At Budapest traffic grew by 24.9%; Cologne-Bonn enjoyed an increase of 13.4% and Geneva welcomed growth of 9.6%.

Commenting on the figures, ACI Europe director general Roy Griffins warned that the aviation industry must ensure it has the means to cope with future growth. "This year's figures provide further confirmation of projected traffic growth in Europe. With passenger traffic set to double by 2020 to 2bn passengers a year, the greatest challenge facing European aviation today is to provide enough capacity. To achieve this, industry and government must work in partnership and brave decisions will have to be made on both sides. The alternative is congestion, poor service, less competition and a failure to meet people's needs and expectations. No-one wants this as a legacy."

An interview with Roy Griffins will appear in DFNI February 15, out next week.