Aena raises its traffic estimates for this year to a range between 75% and 85% compared to the figures for 2019.
The airports in the Aena network closed the month of May with 22,262,317 passengers, a figure that is 9.6% from pre-pandemic levels. In the cumulative period of the first five months of the year, the number of passengers stands at 80,619,033, reflecting a recovery of 80.1% of passenger traffic compared to the same period of 2019.
Despite the lack of visibility for the last quarter of the year but given the forecasts for the coming summer months and according to the seats offered by the airlines, Aena has revised upwards its estimate of passenger traffic for the end of 2022, from the current 68% to a range of between 75% and 85% on the 2019 figures.
May data
In addition, 208,745 aircraft were in operation, which is equivalent to a recovery of 97.6% compared with 2019, while 83,022 tonnes of cargo were transported, which represents a decrease of 3.2% compared with the same month of 2019.
Of the total number of travellers recorded in May, 22,206,428 were commercial passengers, of which 15,084,449 travelled on international flights, 12.4% less than in May 2019. Meanwhile, 7,121,979 passengers travelled on domestic flights, which is 2.9% less than before the pandemic.
Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport recorded the highest number of passengers in the fifth month of the year, with 4,325,389, representing a decrease of 17.1% compared with May 2019. It is followed by Barcelona-El Prat Josep Tarradellas Airport, with 3,818,647 (-18.4% compared with 2019); Palma de Mallorca Airport, with 3,119,255 (-2%); Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport, with 1,852,220 (-3.2%); Alicante-Elche Airport, with 1,271,634 passengers (-9.3%); Gran Canaria Airport, with 901,578 (-3.1%); Ibiza Airport, with 856,519 (-3.5%); Tenerife Sur Airport, with 774,862 (-2.5%); Valencia Airport, with 739,159 (-1.1%); Sevilla Airport, with 635,220 (-7.3%); and César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport, with 580,136 passengers, representing an increase of 2.2% compared with the same month of 2019.
As for the number of aircraft in operation, the airport with the highest number in May was Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, with a total of 30,725 (-17.5% compared with 2019), followed by Barcelona-El Prat Josep Tarradellas Airport with 26,654 flights (-14.5%); Palma de Mallorca Airport, with 24,248 (+5.9%); Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport, with 14,148 (+1.1%); Gran Canaria Airport, with 9,192 (-4.1%); Alicante-Elche Airport, with 8,776 (-7.6%); Ibiza Airport, with 8,181 (+4.7%); and Valencia Airport, with 6,851 aircraft movements, which is 0.1% less than in the same month of 2019.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.