Monthly Traffic Statistics - March 2018

Traffic at Bordeaux Airport increased by 3.2% in March with a total of 449,000 passengers. 119 flights were cancelled due to strike action, which heavily impacted the airport’s activity, especially domestic traffic which fell 12.3%. International flights pursued their growth, up 25.8%, to reach 223,000 monthly passengers. March was a sporting month as Bordeaux hosted 2 major events: the Football League Cup final which generated a large number of additional flights, and the 4th Bordeaux Night Marathon which has already become a major occasion, with more than 20,000 runners participating this year.

International traffic saw its strongest growth since the beginning of the year with +25.8% (223,000 monthly passengers) and substantial increases for the main international hubs: Brussels (+63.4%), Madrid (+43.4%), Lisbon (+33.5%) and London Gatwick (+8.9%). For Northern Europe, Dublin posted the most significant growth (+76.3%), followed by Bristol (+27.6%), Charleroi (+18.1%) and Berlin (+8.9%). Southern routes displayed promise for this summer season: Tenerife (+53.1%), Fuerteventura (+37.3%), Marrakech and Barcelona (+27.2%).

Domestic traffic, heavily affected by a number of social movements, fell 12.3% with just 226,000 passengers. With the cancellation of 119 flights, the airport suffered overall traffic losses equivalent to 3% of monthly traffic, with Paris flights (-30%) particularly affected. Performance was better on transverse routes: Nice (+43.4%), Strasbourg (+4.8%), Marseilles (+9%) and Lyon (+5.2%).

Low-cost flights registered 26.3% growth, with 219,155 passengers transported in March. The month’s best growth performance was +85.6% for Volotea, or 20,750 passengers.  easyJet, with 3 aircraft now based in Bordeaux (since the end of March), saw growth of 12.7% and approximately 140,000 monthly passengers. Ryanair also registered strong growth, with +34.6% and 29,900 passengers.