The year kicks off with a very promising 8.4% growth figure for January

Traffic at Bordeaux Airport was largely boosted by international flights which progressed in January by 16.7%, carrying 201,000 passengers following the launch of a number of new routes in 2018. The low-cost sector transported 213,100 passengers this New Year, progressing by 17.8%. Domestic flights were also up, posting 1.7% growth. So 2019 promises to be a good year for Bordeaux Airport with another 28 new flights already announced.

The growth of international traffic reached double figures, up 16.7% on January 2018, for 201,000 passengers.

• Services to Morocco made notable progress this winter, with +40.5% for Marrakesh, +120% for Fez (flights operated by Air Arabia and, since October 2018, by Ryanair as well), and 2,272 passengers carried on easyJet’s new route to Essaouira. The winter sun attracted nearly 30,000 travellers to the Maghreb this January, representing 35% growth in traffic.
• Switzerland progressed by 34%, driven by a new route to the intercontinental hub of Zurich, operated by Swiss since March 2018. Traffic growth for Geneva was 4.6% with nearly 15,000 passengers in January.
• As for Southern Europe, Spain also posted excellent results, with monthly growth of 17%: +10.6% for Lanzarote (with Volotea having joined easyJet on this route in December), +9.3% for Barcelona, +8.7% for Seville and +6.3% for Madrid.
• The British Isles progressed by 11.2%, thanks notably to Dublin, up 14%, and the new winter link with Manchester operated by easyJet, with 1,600 passengers.
• For Italy, Venice took pride of place, posting 15.9% growth.
• Eastern Europe benefited from a very strong increase in traffic to Prague with Volotea, up by 139%.

Domestic flights recorded growth of 1.7% and 220,000 passengers. Paris traffic fell by just 4.4% (a much lower percentage than the 2018 average of -17%), with more than 100,000 people transported in January. The major transversal links pursued their growth: Marseille +21.8%, Lille +10.9%, Nice +10.2% and Lyon +7%. Lyon is in fact Bordeaux’s 2nd most popular domestic destination, behind Paris, with more than 46,500 monthly passengers.

The low-cost sector represented more than half of all traffic in January, with 213,100 passengers and 17.8% growth. Volotea came out top in terms of growth, with the excellent figure of +32% in comparison with last year’s traffic. The airline easyJet holds on to its leading position in terms of passenger numbers, having carried 129,000 travellers in January for a 19.6% growth.