ACI EUROPE: EU airports report strong 1Q pax traffic, LCCs continues to be main drive of growth

ACI EUROPE reported (07-May-2015) passenger traffic at European airports increased 5.2% year-on-year in 1Q2015, including a 6% growth at EU airports. Greece, Romania, Ireland, Lithuania, Portugal, Hungary, Belgium and Croatia all recorded double-digit growth. Passengers at non-EU airports increased 2.6%, due to traffic declines in Russia and Ukraine. Freight traffic fell 0.4% and aircraft movements increased 1.6%. ACI EUROPE director general Olivier Jankovec noted that variations in growth between national markets are significant and traffic recovery from the 2008 peak is still incomplete for some of them, which means room for further growth ahead. He also noted traffic growth continues to be mainly driven by LCCs, while airlines appear to be become much more risk-adverse, focusing on existing routes and established markets. He added this has resulted in "increasing connectivity challenges for smaller airports and their communities." [more - original PR]