Vienna International Airport pax down 3%, cargo up 5% in Mar-2014; FY forecast remains in place

Austria's Vienna International Airport passenger numbers down 3% - traffic highlights for Mar-2014:

• Passenger numbers: 1.7 million, -2.6% year-on-year;
• Cargo volume: 24,989 tonnes, +5.0%;
• Aircraft movements: 18,456, -2.1%. [more - original PR]

Passenger traffic to Western Europe fell 0.7% in Mar-2014, while Eastern Europe recorded a minus of 6.3%. The number of passengers travelling to the Middle East and the Far East was 9.4% and 6.2% lower, respectively. In contrast, passenger traffic to North America rose by a strong 14.4%. The airport attributes (10-Apr-2014) the decline to the later date for Easter in April this year as well as the the tense situation in Ukraine, Russia, and the Near East, as well as the general capacity reductions by airlines. The airport however, stated its traffic forecasts for 2014 remain in tact with an increase of 1-3% in passenger numbers.