According to the latest figures released by the Airport Council International, a decrease of about 81 percent in passenger traffic at European airports has been reported (ACI).
According to the ACI survey, traffic at airports in the European Union, the EEA, Switzerland and the United Kingdom has decreased by 86 percent compared to last year's estimates, says SchnegenVisaInfo.com.
In that regard, Oliver Jaknovec, Director-General of ACI Europe reported that in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, these airports are facing an accelerating downward trend in passenger transport.
"In response to the further extension of local lockdowns in many countries, airlines continue to cut planned capacity, which only adds further pain to the one already inflicted by severe cross-border travel restrictions," Jaknovec pointed out.
He also stressed that while volumes decreased by 96 percent, the current patterns threaten taking passenger traffic to the one encountered in the second quarter.
According to the ACI survey, passenger traffic is down by 59 per cent in the rest of the European countries, but is considered to be more resilient.
"The Top 10 European Airport League has turned this situation upside down. In September, with only 2.25 million passengers (-53.5 per cent), Antalya was the busiest European airport, followed by Moscow-Sheremetyevo (-53.5 per cent), Moscow-Domodedovo (-26.2 per cent) and Istanbul (-71 per cent).
More than 20 organizations representing the aviation ecosystem have announced joint work with policymakers to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050, in order to revive the aviation market.
The joint work will help create a greener and more economically robust future for the aviation industry.
Also addressed during the ACI Europe Annual Congress were new alternatives to help the aviation sector get out of the crisis triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Rising number of job cuts triggered by COVID-1919 due to the financial crisisIn a bid to support the European airport market, Director General Olivier Jankovec stressed that airport revenues are mainly dependent on passenger volumes.
In the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic outbreak, European airports lost 1.5 billion passengers during the year.
Europe's airports are currently burning cash every week in the sum of EUR 350 million. Although this is down from EUR 600 million in the second quarter owing to drastic cost cuts, this is not sustainable and needs urgent government support, Jankovec said.
Twenty of Europe's top airports have lowered operating expenditures by EUR 3 billion (-22 per cent) and capital spending by EUR 2.6 billion, respectively (-37 per cent).
ACI had previously announced that in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, 193 European airports could face insolvency within the next few months.