INTERNATIONAL. International passenger traffic rose by +2.1% in 2008 over 2007, according to preliminary traffic results from Airports Council International (ACI). The increase, said ACI, came “thanks to strong growth in the first quarter which balanced the year-end decline”. Global domestic passenger numbers fell by -2.6% in the year.
By region, the Middle East posted the highest growth in international passengers during the year, up +12.3% on 2007, with Africa climbing +8.4%, Latin America/Caribbean up by +5.4% and North America rising +2.4%. Asia Pacific and Europe were flat.
For the month of December 2008, global passenger traffic growth fell by -5.8% compared to December 2007, with international traffic down by -5.7%.
The top 10 international airports all reported year-on-year declines in December, led by Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (-42%), London Gatwick (-14%), Incheon (-13%) and Tokyo Narita (-10%). Dubai was the only exception among this group, registering a +5% increase, and the only region on the rise was the Middle East with a +6.7% increase in international traffic. Asia Pacific international traffic fell sharpest in December, with a drop of -9.9%, while Europe was down by -6.5%.
 |
Domestic passenger traffic results were buoyed by China where the large airports showed double-digit increases, once again led by Beijing (+22%), but the strong increase in China was offset by continued weak performance in India and the US where the large airports (Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas and the New York City airports) suffered double-digit reductions. European domestic traffic (-12.3%) was strongly impacted by the Spanish market, with Madrid and Barcelona reporting reductions of -19% and -24% respectively.
ACI World Director General Angela Gittens said: “December terminated a turbulent and sobering year for the airport industry. A very promising first quarter was followed by steadily decreasing demand, resulting in a flat finish for the year. Domestic traffic in the US was particularly hard hit due to high fuel prices earlier in the year and the subsequent economic crisis, whereas international traffic performance was bolstered by good results in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America markets.”
Airports and their aviation partners will have the opportunity to review the world situation, its impact on airport business and the future outlook at the ACI Economics and Finance Conference held in London on 10-11 February. The event is jointly hosted by ACI World and ACI Europe.
“When we first began planning for this event, the key concern for the industry was the high price of fuel,” said ACI World Economics Director Andreas Schimm. “Within six short months the entire focus shifted to the growing world financial crisis and its implications for airport planning, capacity and long-term investments. An overall contraction in 2009 is inevitable and could be as strong as -4% according to ACI’s recently revised short term forecast.
“We hope to see the bottom of this accelerated downward passenger traffic trend in the first quarter 2009 and a slow stabilisation of traffic figures during the rest of the year. The conference will provide an excellent forum for discussing strategies to meet this challenge and deal with constantly shifting economic climate.”
Gittens concluded: “The aviation industry has experienced and survived economic cycles and crises in the past. The long term forecast for traffic growth remains basically unchanged. We must work closely with our aviation partners, despite current setbacks, to prepare for the resurgence of global markets. We cannot sit back to see what happens next. Our industry must continue to invest now to ensure that tomorrow we are ready to serve the billions of passengers who rely on us for efficient service in an environmentally sustainable manner.”
[comments]
MORE STORIES ON ACI AND INTERNATIONAL PASSENGER TRAFFIC
Air travel gloom deepens as ACI reports “˜major setback’ for global passenger traffic in November – 07/01/09
ACI Europe warns on looming airport capacity crunch – 03/12/08
