ZAGREB, February 12, 2018 – The passenger turnover at airports across Europe increased at the fastest pace in 13 years during 2017 and Croatia was among the countries that saw double-digit rises, the ACI Europe association said earlier in the week.
Passenger traffic across Europe rose 8.5 percent in 2017, which was the fastest level since 2004, when traffic was boosted by the accession of 10 new countries to the European Union, according to ACI figures quoted in a Reuters news iteme headlined “European air passenger growth set to slow in 2018 after bumper 2017.”
ACI Europe head Olivier Jankovec was quoted as saying that 2017 had been the best year for airports since 2004. “This might be as good as it gets and while we anticipate continued growth in the coming months, it will most certainly come at a slower pace,” Jankovec said in a statement.
Growth looks set to slow, with rising oil prices, airline consolidation and Britain’s exit from the European Union all presenting challenges in 2018.
Last year, airports in the 28-strong European Union “saw passenger traffic increasing by +7.7%, a further improvement over 2016 (+6.7%).”
“The highest growth was achieved by airports in east and south of the EU – with airports in Latvia, Estonia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Malta and Portugal recording double digit growth. This reflects a catching-up pattern in terms of lower propensity to fly in most of these countries when compared to the Western and Northern parts of the EU, along with more dynamic local economies,” according to an ACI Europe’s press release entitled ” 2017 – a vintage year with air passenger traffic growth of 8.5%”.
The association states that Europe’s busiest airports in 2017 by passengers are:
1: London Heathrow – 78 million passengers, +3 pct
2: Paris Charles de Gaulle – 69.5 million, +5.4 pct
3: Amsterdam Schiphol – 68.5 million, +7.7 pct
4: Frankfurt – 64.5 million, +6.1 pct
5: Istanbul-Ataturk – 63.9 million passengers, +5.9 pct
