By the summer of 2018, the number of passengers had doubled compared to 2009, heralding a 9th year of continuous growth. For traffic on routes to Paris (Orly and Charles-de-Gaulle) alone, given the context of targeted SNCF competition on the high-speed train line, Bordeaux Airport grew by +17.8% (or 839,000 additional passengers), which is the best growth since the creation of the airport company.
This exceptional dynamism was buoyed by the powerful international market of nearly 3,800,000 passengers.
This exponential growth - i.e. more than half of all passengers for an increase of 21,2% - is driven to a large extent by low-cost flights, which continue to progress and achieved a record growth rate of +22.1%.
At the height of the summer season, Bordeaux Airport served an unprecedented 99 direct destinations, including 27 new destinations.
All these routes are operated by 31 airlines, including two new airlines in 2018: SWISS and Air Baltic. The international expansion of routes from Bordeaux is a long-term process and in 2018 represented 80% of new routes.
In view of these major successes, 2018 is the pivotal year of a plan to improve the quality of service and infrastructures at the airport over the next five years, supported by a €140 million investment programme.