Air travel globally nears earlier pandemic intensity
Last May, German airports experienced a surge in use compared to the previous year's month; however, the overall number of flights still fell short of the pre-Corona level, according to experts. The primary reason for this was the low demand for domestic flights:
The Easter holiday season boosted the need for flights to and from Germany. In May, 19.7 million passengers were recorded at German airports by the ADV industry association—an increase of ten percent compared to the prior year's month, but still a 12.1 percent dip compared to May 2019, which was the last year before the Corona pandemic drastically affected air travel.
International travel figures almost reached pre-crisis levels in May. The roughly 14.2 million passengers travelling in Europe accounted for nearly 97 percent of the value from five years ago. Intercontinental travel involved 3.4 million passengers, which was only slightly below the May 2019 level (99 percent). As a result, the significantly reduced domestic air traffic was the main factor behind the overall decline.
Domestic flights accounted for only 2.1 million passengers, which was less than half (48.4 percent) of the pre-Corona level in spring 2019. German airports attribute the weak demand in Europe to excessive government-imposed costs. The increased air travel tax and airport security costs in May caused airlines to abandon routes to and from Germany.
These costs have a more substantial impact on short domestic flights. Additionally, the ADV criticizes the lack of competition on domestic routes, which are primarily controlled by the Lufthansa Group while other providers have withdrawn.
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Frankfurt am Main's international airport saw a close approach to pre-crisis passenger numbers in May, with over 3.4 million travelers, only slightly below the figure from the same month in 2019 before the Corona pandemic. Despite this, the German aviation giant Lufthansa reported a significant impact of the Corona crisis on their operations, leading to the abandonment of several routes due to the increased air travel tax and airport security costs. Berlin Tegel Airport, another major hub in Germany, faced challenges due to the Corona crisis as well, experiencing a lower demand for domestic flights.
