The total number of passengers transported by air fell by 6% in the EU27 in 2009 compared with 2008, to 751 million, showing the impact of the economic crisis. This is the first fall recorded in the EU since 2002, marked by the effect of 11 September 2001 on passenger numbers. The number of passengers decreased by 8% on intra-EU flights in 2009, to 318 million, by 4% on extra-EU flights to 271 million and by 5% on national flights to 162 million. Total freight and mail transported by air in the EU27 also fell in 2009 compared with 2008, by 12%.

Quarterly data indicate that air transport has already begun to recover from the effects of the economic crisis. There was a gradual
improvement throughout 2009, with passenger numbers falling by 12% in the first quarter, compared with the same quarter of 2008, then by 7% in the second quarter, by 5% in the third quarter and by 1% in the fourth quarter of 2009. In the first quarter of 2010, passenger numbers increased by 2% compared with the first quarter of 2009. Preliminary data for April 2010 indicate that the volcanic eruption in Iceland brought a temporary halt to this recovery, with passenger numbers falling by 18%, compared with April 2009.

These figures are published in a report from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, on air transport in the EU27 in 2009. This report also looks in detail at national, intra-EU and extra-EU air transport of passengers and freight, as well as the most important airport pairs within the EU27.

London/Heathrow and Paris/Charles de Gaulle busiest passenger airports

In 2009, the highest numbers of passengers were registered in the United Kingdom (199 million, -7% compared with 2008), Germany (158 mn, -5%), Spain (148 mn, -8%), France (118 mn, -4%) and Italy (102 mn, -3%). The number of air passengers fell in all Member States except Latvia. The largest decreases in the number of air passengers were recorded in Lithuania (-27%), Estonia (-26%), Slovakia (-25%) and Denmark (-15%).

London/Heathrow was still the EU’s busiest passenger airport, with 66 million passengers handled in 2009, down by 1% compared with 2008. Paris/Charles de Gaulle (58 mn, -5%) and Frankfurt/Main (51 mn, -5%) were the second and third busiest airports, followed by Madrid/Barajas (48 mn, -5%) and Amsterdam/Schiphol (44 mn, -8%). All the top 30 airports in terms of passengers handled in 2009 registered decreases in the number of passengers, with Dublin and Manchester (both -12%) showing the largest falls and Athinai and London/Heathrow (both -1%) the lowest.

London/Heathrow (39 mn) handled the most extra-EU passengers, Amsterdam/Schiphol and Paris/Charles de Gaulle (both 24 mn) the most intra-EU passengers and Madrid/Barajas (19 mn) the most national passengers.