Portugal Airports Saw 13 Million Passengers in Q1 of 2023, Marking New Record
Lisbon alone welcomed a total of seven million travellers this quarter, or up by 14 per cent, AtoZSerwisPlus.pt reports.
The notable increase was driven by the “excellent performance” of connections with France as well as the United Kingdom and Brazil. The United States also contributed, especially the new route to Chicago and San Francisco.
The report indicates that Portugal is among the top five countries together with Serbia (27 per cent up compared to pre-pandemic levels), Mexico, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, where a new record in passenger numbers was reached in the first quarter of this year.
Ryanair’s commitment to Funchal airport, according to VINCI, led to a total of 44 per cent increase in traffic in Madeira, which is also among the most favourite destinations for passengers, according to the Portugal News report.
From January until March this year, about one million people passed through Funchal airport, which means there was a registered 43 per cent increase compared to pre-pandemic levels, as well as 68 per cent more compared to the same period last year.
The report also notes that in the first quarter of this year, about three million passengers travelled through Porto airport, or 12 per cent more compared to the same period of 2019 statistics and a 50 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
At the same time, the airport in Faro opened its doors to 1.1 million travellers, accounting for a 46 per cent increase compared to the figures of the same period last year and 9.6 per cent more compared to pre-pandemic levels.
According to VINCI, a number of airports in Europe and America saw record-breaking traffic numbers, even surpassing 2019 figures, before the spread of the Coronavirus.
“Airports in the VINCI Airports network welcomed over 56 million passengers in Q1 2023, i.e., almost 20 million more than in 2022 – 12 per cent down on the same period in 2019, and just four per cent down when excluding Asia,” the statement reads.
It also revealed that domestic traffic has almost reached pre-pandemic levels (three per cent down across the entire VINCI Airports Network in March), while international traffic also continues to recover (15 per cent down).
With the abolishment of COVID-related restrictions, Portugal is welcoming a large number of visitors from worldwide countries, thus contributing to the recovery of the economy from the profound financial loss.
