Aena registered 243.68 million travelers last year, with a month of December already close to the same figures as in 2019
Airports are increasing month-on-month passenger traffic compared to the number they recorded before the pandemic, though data for 2022 was still 12% lower than 2019. Data released by the Department of Transport on Tuesday shows that the airports in the Aena network ended 2022 with a total of 243.68 million passengers, representing a recovery of 88.5% compared to 2019, the last year without the impact of the pandemic.
In terms of passengers, 82.3 million traveled on domestic flights, only 3.8% less than in 2019; while 160.5 million did so on international routes, still 15% lower, mainly due to the early months of 2022 when restrictions due to the pandemic were still in place in some countries.
The airport through which most tourists passed through was Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas in Madrid, with a total of 50.6 million passengers in 2022, still 18% less than before the pandemic. It was followed by El Prat in Barcelona, with 41.6 million people, 21% less. In third place is Palma de Mallorca, with 28.6 million passengers, just 4% below the records set in 2019.
In freight traffic, the data is better, with the transport in 2022 of one million tonnes, only 6.5% less than in 2019. The four airports that stand out in this area were Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, with a total of 566,373 tonnes , 1.1% more than in 2019; followed by Barcelona-El Prat, with 155,600 tons, 12% less; that of Zaragoza with almost 127,000 tons, 30% less; and that of Vitoria, with 73,600 tons, which is 14% more than in 2019.
And as for the data published this Tuesday in December, air traffic has improved over the year, reaching the final month with passenger volume just 1.9% below December 2019 levels. A total of 17.9 million passengers passed through the Aena airport network, representing a recovery of 98.1%.
The number of national travelers even surpasses 2019 records, with 6.7 million people on flights within Spain, almost 4% more than before the pandemic. On the other hand, the internationals (11.1 million) lagged behind by 5.3%.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
