Barcelona Airport has operated up to 43 intercontinental destinations in 2022, only four less than the 47 routes that existed in 2019, the year before the pandemic broke out. This represents a 91% recovery of long-haul connections, according to the Air Traffic Observatory of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce.
The routes that have not yet been reactivated are those connecting Barcelona with three of the main destinations in China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong; and with Lima, in South America. On the contrary, flights to North America have recovered significantly. Currently, 112 airlines operate at the airport, 7% less than the 121 that did so in 2019.
Despite the more than 100 airlines present at El Prat, Vueling concentrates 66% of domestic routes and 36% of European ones, according to the Observatory. In total, there are 36 airlines operating intercontinental destinations (-14% compared to 2019), 75 operating routes to Europe (-4% compared to 2019) and 11 operating flights within the State (-21%), reports ACN.
These are some of the conclusions of the Air Traffic Observatory of the Chamber of Commerce published this Friday by the entity, once the definitive data of passengers who have passed through Barcelona Airport this year have been released this week. In total, there were 41.6 million travelers, a figure that represents an increase of 109% compared to 2021, but still 21% less than in 2019, in line with other European airports.
On the contrary, they show a slower recovery when compared to Palma de Mallorca and Malaga, with -4% and -8.5%, due to the lack of some intercontinental connections from Madrid and Barcelona with Asia.
The Observatory also notes, for this winter, that the airport will offer more than 10 million seats and will be almost at pre-pandemic values, only 2% below the figure recorded in 2019, "which is indicative of the commitment that airlines plan to make," remarks the Chamber.
On the other hand, Barcelona Airport has positioned itself as the seventh in Europe in total passenger traffic and if the period between January and September is taken into account, it is the second in origin-destination traffic at the same airport, only surpassed by London Heathrow. In addition, the percentage of connecting passengers grew and stood at 12%.
The Observatory also echoes the forecasts for a complete recovery of activity at a general level, which is not expected until the 2024-2025 season, according to Eurocontrol. This is a "more pessimistic" scenario than previous forecasts as a consequence of inflation, rising fuel prices, and the war between Russia and Ukraine.
In this sense, one of the effects of inflation and the rising cost of fuel has been the increase in ticket prices by 5% compared to 2019, if the period between January and August is compared.
Finally, the Chamber urges to start acting now so that decarbonization in aviation by 2050 becomes a reality and emphasizes that the main manufacturers in the industry such as Airbus and Rolls-Royce are already working on different prototypes.