European airline traffic continued to be “resilient” in September with passenger numbers rising by 3.6 per cent year-on-year, according to ACI Europe figures.
Growth was largely fuelled by double-digit increases in central Europe and in several non-EU countries, while major markets such as France and the UK saw year-on-year traffic drops of 1 per cent and 0.3 per cent respectively in September.
Slovakia, Poland, Slovenia, Romania and Malta all recorded year-on-year passenger rises of at least 10 per cent during the month. Even more impressive growth was seen in Moldova, up by 45.5 per cent, Israel (+32 per cent), Bosnia & Herzegovina (+18 per cent) and Montenegro (+10.9 per cent).
Among the other leading European aviation markets, Germany enjoyed a 3.2 year-on-year per cent uptick in passengers in September, while Spain (+2.5 per cent) and Italy (+1.7 per cent) also saw increases - although these rises were below the continental average.
By comparison, Turkey recorded a 10.6 per cent year-on-year increase with Istanbul Airport taking top spot as Europe’s busiest hub in September - ahead of London Heathrow and Paris Charles De Gaulle airports.
Olivier Jankovec, director general of ACI Europe, said: “September once again confirmed the overall resilience of passenger traffic, cementing the momentum seen throughout the summer.
“This came despite the persistence of a generally low-growth economic environment, but with inflation pressures and unemployment somehow easing a bit.
“Disparities in traffic performance continue to reflect a combination of factors. These include structural changes in the aviation market, varying levels of market maturity and intensifying airport competition along with punitive taxation and economic divergences across countries - notably in the case of France and Germany.”