air traffic confirms its strong growth

This is the index measured in number of passengers per kilometer and per company. Air traffic has thus returned to three-quarters of its pre-crisis level in 2019. Domestic connections to countries, known as domestic, have benefited from this, but the strongest is for international routes which have seen their attendance jump by 230% over one year. International connections have strongly contributed to the renewed health of traffic. Through the various results communicated in recent weeks and days, Air France-KLM is doing well. The Franco-Dutch company made a net profit of 320 million euros in the second quarter for a turnover close to seven billion euros, with a head start on productivity. At the end of July, Air France provided 1,100 flights per day on average with a fleet of 220 planes against just over 1,000 flights for the German Lufthansa, with 380 aircraft.

The European number one in air transport remains Lufthansa, which returned to the green in the second quarter, returning to profits since the start of the pandemic in 2019. And this, not thanks to passengers but to freight, the transport of goods. Lufthansa also includes the Austrian, Swiss, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings subsidiaries, but the carrier has mainly benefited from its cargo branch, with demand linked to the recovery and high prices.

There remain the social questions and the lack of personnel which affects the airports but also the airlines. This is Lufthansa’s Achilles’ heel, more than for Air France-KLM. The German group is more affected than its Franco-Dutch counterpart and this weighs on its profitability. Lufthansa had to cancel almost all of its flights in Germany at the end of July, grounding some 130,000 passengers, not to mention a pilot strike looming on the horizon. Problems from which Air France has been relatively spared so far.