Paris airports almost regain their pre-Covid attendance

2023-08-18 07:27:00

Margaux Fodéré, edited by Ophélie Artaud / Photo credit: Aline Morcillo / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP
09:27, August 18, 2023

9.8 million passengers passed through Charles-De-Gaulle and Orly airports in July. Very good attendance which allows the Aéroports de Paris group to regain color following the pandemic. In question: a desire to travel since the end of the confinements.

Good news for the aviation sector: the Parisian airports are regaining color. Some 9.8 million passengers passed through Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly airports in July. An increase in their attendance of 7.5% over one year, according to the Aéroports de Paris (ADP) group. So much so that we are approaching pre-Covid levels. The number of passengers to or from Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle reached 88.5% of its 2019 level. At Orly, the pre-Covid level was outright exceeded.

“Travel frenzy to catch up” of confinements

During the pandemic, some predicted a world without planes. On the contrary, according to Jacques Pavaux, former director general of the Institute of Air Transport, the desire to travel has started once more. “People have suffered from the confinements, there has been a frenzy of travel to catch up,” he analyzes. “Perhaps also people had saved money during the confinements and they let themselves go a little this year.”

However, air traffic experienced its share of surprises in July. A computer failure at Orly severely slowed down baggage handling at the end of July. Strikes also affected several European airports. But not enough to impact attendance at Paris airports. “All of this means that we might have done even better, but structurally, anyway, we are on a growth path”, explains Xavier Tytelman, specialist in the sector. “Every year, there are always a few small strikes. We’ll see next year.”

It remains to be seen whether this increase in attendance will continue in the coming years. While airlines expect air traffic to triple by 2050, rising fuel and ticket prices might limit this growth.

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