ROUTES EUROPE: Bordeaux Reports Strong Passenger Growth

The significant growth Bordeaux Airport reported in the first three months of the year has continued into the second quarter, with passenger numbers up by 28 per cent in April versus the same month last year. This means the airport has seen traffic rise by 20 per cent across the period following rises of 22.6 per cent in January, 21.5 per cent in February and 11.9 per cent in March.

The high figure for April is not overly surprising as it compares with a period of severe disruption last year after operations in parts of European airspace came to stop following the Icelandic volcanic eruption and subsequent Ash Cloud crisis. Although Bordeaux Airport did remain open during period of the month in 2010 and actually accepted many diverted aircraft, it still witnessed a loss of around 35,000 passengers through over 500 flight cancellations.

A strong May result is also anticipated following the launch of additional flights in recent weeks. Air Austral has begun services to St Denis in Reunion; Ryanair is flying to Seville; TAP Portugal has joined Air France on the Lisbon route; easyJet is now competing with Iberia to Madrid, while Vueling has added a link to Barcelona, a route also currently served by Air France.

The new routes from easyJet, Ryanair and Vueling will further strengthen the Low-Cost segment at Bordeaux, which accounted for 60 per cent of the additional passengers carried during the first four months of the year. In this period the airport recorded a 37 per cent increase in international traffic, thanks in part to new route launches, and notable rises were evident on links major national and international hubs, namely Rome (up 101 per cent), London (up 46 per cent), Lisbon (up 38 per cent), Madrid (up 36 per cent) and Casablanca (up 35 per cent).

These positive rises can be better understood when you consider the wider Bordeaux economy, which is showing growth. Some sectors are proving particularly strong, notably the space and aeronautical industries, laser technologies, certain agricultural commodities such as corn (of which the region is Europe’s largest producer) and other food products. Bordeaux’s iconic wine industry has also seen demand increase across its international markets.