The company expects the same number of travelers through its airports this year as before the pandemic
Aena closed 2022 with a net profit of €901.5 million, compared to a loss of €475.4 million in 2021, after a total of 243 million passengers passed through its network’s airports in Spain last year, representing a recovery of 88.5% of passenger traffic compared to 2019, the last year without the impact of the pandemic. Shares of the company are currently rebounding more than 6% in the stock market following the presentation of these annual results.
Given the recovery of air traffic planned for the coming months, the company has revised its estimate of passenger traffic upwards and puts the central scenario for 2023 at almost equal (99%) with the traffic recorded in 2019 on the Spanish network. It also restores commercial incentive similar to that offered to airlines before the pandemic, which will apply during the 2023 summer and winter seasons.
Traveler growth has doubled compared to 2021, with national traffic increasing 58.2%, while international traffic increased 138.4%. If data from Luton airport (London) and the six airports of Aena Brasil, in which Aena has an interest, are included, the number of passengers is 270.7 million (+98.5% compared to 2021), representing a recovery of 88.1 million. % of 2019 traffic.
Given the evolution of passenger data from Spanish airports in recent months and after analyzing the economic situation, Aena has decided to revise its passenger traffic estimate for the year 2023 upwards to a range between 94% and 104% compared to of the 2019 figures, compared to the initial forecast of between 87 and 97%. He estimates that the central scenario is statistically the most likely, with a recovery of 99% compared to 2019.
As already foreseen in the strategic plan, the return to the ‘black figures’ means the return of the shareholder remuneration.
For example, Aena will propose to the shareholders’ meeting, which will take place on April 20, the payment of a gross dividend of 4.75 euros per share charged to the result of the financial year 2022, of which the State, which owns 51% of the company, will receive 363 million. In this way, the shareholder compensation that has been eliminated since 2020 is recouped, with a return of 80% on profits.
During the two years of the pandemic, Aena provided airlines with incentives designed for the situation caused by the pandemic. Now, given the recovery in traffic, the company is restoring a commercial boost similar to the one it provided airlines before the pandemic. The premium will be applied during the summer and winter seasons of 2023, which will run from April 1 to October 31 (summer) and from November 1 to March 31, 2024 (winter).
This scheme will encourage new routes to unserved destinations, growth of routes at airports with fewer than 3 million passengers and growth of routes to Asia.
The incentive consists of the refund of 100% of the passenger’s airport fare corresponding to the number of passengers of each airline opening routes to destinations not served by the airport or growing (compared to the previous equivalent season), on the routes that operate at airports with less than 3 million passengers or with destinations in Asia.
The maximum number of passengers to be encouraged by each company is determined by the number of passengers the airline grows at the airport and in the overall network.
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.
