Overall passenger traffic at European airports for 2009 decreased by 5.9 per cent compared with 2008, according to figures published in the ACI Europe Airport Traffic Report.

The accumulated figure for freight traffic for the same period fell by 13.1 per cent and movements decreased by 7.5 per cent. 86 per cent of airports are reported to have lost traffic in 2009.

Some signs of confidence returning were seen at the end of the year, with overall passenger traffic at European airports increasing by 2.2 per cent in December 2009 compared with December 2008, although ACI remains cautious about the outlook for 2010. It evidences what appears to be a fragile economic recovery for Europe, significant structural changes in the aviation market and the prospect of further increases in security costs.

The report includes 110 airports altogether, these representing nearly 80 per cent of total European passenger traffic.

Pic: Madrid airport recorded a 4.9 per cent rise in passenger traffic in December 2009 compared with December 2008. Image courtesy of Felipe Alvarez