Bratislava Airport handled 1,416,010 passengers in 2012
Bratislava Airport handled 1,416,010 passengers in 2012
06-Feb-2013
In 2012, the freight transport segment at Airport Bratislava continued to grow and reached a new all-time record of more than 22 500 tonnes in total annual air freight. The number of passengers has stabilized on the number of 1,416,010, which represents a year-on-year decline thus copying the reality of more than a half of Europe's regional airports. In the economic sphere, the airport company kept its ability to cover the operational costs from its own sources, including the maintenance.
New incentive scheme for airlines resulted in the very beginning of 2012 into new airline - Norwegian Air Shuttle, which opened direct flights from Bratislava airport to Scandinavian hubs Oslo and Copenhagen. The popularity of both routes was evident in more than 83% seat load factor during the summer season. A wide range of connecting flights, daily frequency and a high standard of product supported the growing trend of the connection to the Moscow airport Vnukovo operated by UTair. Domestic carrier Danube Wings as well as the Israeli El Al continued their operation in Bratislava in the same volume as in 2011, while the airport long-time partner - the Irish Ryanair, changed its offer throughout the year according to the airline capacity as well as the grounding of some of its fleet during the winter season, which negatively affected also some routes from Bratislava (eg. closure of the route to Paris during the winter season, despite the load factor was above 90%).
International Organization Airport Council International Europe ("ACI Europe"), which covers the vast majority of European airports reported, that mainly small airports in Europe (welcoming less than 5 million passengers per year, Bratislava included) were mostly hit by crises last year. These airports often do not have a transfer element as well as national carrier. The ACI´s statement further says that even the Eurozone economies may show signs of stabilising, the 'positive contagion' referred to by the European Central Bank remains elusive when it comes to air traffic. This reflects weak business confidence and record unemployment levels in many countries, but also the woes of several European airlines which are downsizing and cutting their capacity. The month of December produced the most alarming result of the year, the EU traffic result was -3,1% y/y, dragging the overall passenger traffic result for all of Europe to -1,1%.
In 2012, Airport Bratislava handled on arrival and departure together 1,416,010 passengers (-11% y/y), from which 971,009 used the scheduled flights from / to Bratislava (-13.5%), 442,184 passengers were carried on charter flights (-3.4%) and 2,817 passengers used another type of air transport (private jets, government flights..). The number of aircraft movements dropped from 25,359 in 2011 to last year's 23,412 takeoffs and landings.
The most of the passengers passed through the airport in August (233,170 passengers), while the hourly maximum was reached on September 4th, 2012 (1,503 passengers and 15 take-offs and landings per hour). The strongest day was August 5th, when the airport welcomed 9,486 passengers. The most take-offs and landings per day were reached on 27th July 2012 (127 take-offs and landings).
During the past year, six air carriers offered regular flights to 28 destinations from Bratislava airport, from which Oslo, Copenhagen and Venice, as well as regular charters to Bourgas, Heraklion and Rhodes (where passengers could purchase individual flight tickets) were newly opened. The highest number of passengers was carried by Ryanair (875,149 passengers). The second and third positions belong to Danube Wings (27,897 passengers) and the newcomer Norwegian Air Shuttle (27,753 passengers). The most popular scheduled destination from Bratislava was London with 291,832 passengers, followed by Dublin (91,198 passengers, an annual increase of 5.5%) and Milan-Bergamo (78,880 passengers).
Charter flights to 40 destinations were provided by 17 carriers. Majority of charter passengers were carried by Travel Service (291,263 passengers). The second and third position belongs to Samair (70,401 passengers) and Bulgarian Air Charter (15 5,733 passengers). The most popular charter destination in 2012 was the Turkish Antalya (108,064 passengers), which two years ago replaced Hurghada on the first place. On the second place is Bourgas (50,394 passengers, an annual increase of 6.9%) and finally, Hurghada dropped to third place (42,323).
In air cargo transportation segment Bratislava airport continued in the trend which started in 2008 and experienced the historical maximum. The monthly record fell in March and reached the amount of 2,311 tons. In 2012, Airport Bratislava handled a total of 22 577 tonnes of cargo, which means a year-on-year increase of 10%.
The main priority in the construction process was the completion of the new terminal building in accordance with the works schedule, so that from the peak summer season also the arriving passengers can take the advantage of new premises. The second part of the new terminal building was opened to the public on 13th July, whereas the first passengers who entered the new arrivals hall came from Rome, flight FR 9822. The opening of the second part of the terminal completed the reconstruction project of the new M. R. Stefanik Airport, which strategically and technologically represents the most important building in the field of civil aviation in Slovakia over the past decade. The modern terminal became home of strong brands such as Coffeeshop Company and Yves Rocher, which along with other well-known partners as Gebrüder Heinemann (duty-free) and Mediapress guarantee a diverse range and quality of services.
Forecast for 2013
In 2013, due to a lower purchasing power in the region, a transfer of passengers from traditional carriers towards the low-cost carriers could bring the Bratislava airport stabilisation of the passenger's numbers. Also the attractiveness of the airport incentive program for carriers as well as active addressing of potential airlines not only at international forums but also on personal visits, establishment of strong brands in sales in the new terminal and implementation of the airport own tools partly supplying the support of the major tourism players in Slovakia, should help to strengthen the position of Bratislava airport on the market in 2013 and create not only a cost, but also a product-attractive alternative in the region.
Year2012 - main statistical data
TOP 5 scheduled destinations
|
Destination |
Number of passengers in 2012 |
Number of passengers in 2011 |
|
|
1. |
291 832 |
319 634 |
|
|
2. |
91 198 (+5,5%) |
86 437 |
|
|
3. |
Milan - Bergamo |
78 880 |
86 819 |
|
4. |
62 704 |
70 120 |
|
|
5. |
48 342 |
52 140 |
TOP 5 charter destinations
|
Destination |
Number of passengers in 2012 |
Number of passengers in 2011 |
|
|
1. |
108 064 |
125 901 |
|
|
2. |
50 394 (+6,9%) |
47 143 |
|
|
3. |
42 323 |
61 121 |
|
|
4. |
33 5212 (+47,3%) |
22 747 |
|
|
5. |
Rhodos |
23 608 |
30 176 |
TOP 5 air carriers (scheduled connections)
|
Air Carrier |
Number of passengers in 2012 |
Number of passengers in 2011 |
|
|
1. |
875 149 |
1 009 132 |
|
|
2. |
VIP Wings (flying under Danube Wings) |
27 897 |
31 282 |
|
3. |
27 753 |
- |
|
|
4. |
24 214 (+338,6%) |
7 151 |
|
|
5. |
Sun d´Or International |
11 662 (+8,3%) |
10 773 |
TOP 5 air carriers (charter flights)
|
Air Carrier |
Number of passengers in 2012 |
Number of passengers in 2011 |
|
|
1. |
Travel Service |
291 263 |
316 009 |
|
2. |
Sayegh Aviation Europe (flying under Samair) |
70 401 (+95,9%) |
35 943 |
|
3. |
15 573 (+54,1%) |
10 104 |
|
|
4. |
Sky Airlines |
7 205 (+1,3%) |
7 112 |
|
5. |
6 271 |
- |