French airports can say thank you to low-cost airlines. The activity of the latter largely contributes to the resumption of traffic in the air. However, some cities are seeing their terminals suffer from competition from rail and a decline in business travel.
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According to the annual report drawn up by the Union of French Airports (UAF) for 2023, France’s airport platforms welcomed a total of nearly 200 million travelers, an increase of 14% compared to 2022. Among passengers, 43% departing from or arriving at mainland airports flew on board a low-cost airline. 43% compared to 35% before the Covid crisis in 2019, or eight points more in five years. The end of confinement has pushed would-be travelers to return to the air, but at a lower cost, against a backdrop of inflation and questions linked to purchasing power.
Between 2019 and 2023, specialized airports saw their attendance jump: 42% growth for the Beauvais platform (Oise), which is the French base of the Irish company Ryanair, and +27% at Tarbes- Lourdes Pyrenees. Thomas Juin, who chairs the Union of French Airports, is convinced of this: “SIf regional airport platforms are where they are today, with air connectivity, it is largely thanks to the development of low-cost airlines.”
Some regional airports down sharply
The ban on domestic flights of less than 2.5 hours, which came into force last year, has clearly had no impact on the activity of these companies. On the other hand, the impact is heavy on the activity of major regional services. Concrete examples: in four years, the losers are the Brest airports (34% drop in activity), Rennes (-30%), Strasbourg (-22%), Toulouse-Blagnac (-19%). These regional airports are experiencing competition from rail and the decline in business travel.
For the companies concerned such as Ryanair, Easyjet, Transavia, Vueling, Wizz Air or Eurowings, the market is elsewhere: on short and medium-haul flights between major European and nearby non-European capitals, for leisure customers, but also diasporas and the dispersion of families with migration.