How are world’s airports set to perform in Q2 2023?
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Which airports across the world are growing fastest? Which are still far below their 2019 levels?
The analysis below, generated using data from Diio by Cirium, looks at the 100 busiest airports in the world (by seats) for the upcoming second quarter of 2023. It identifies the 15 airports that have grown the most since 2019, as well as the 15 airports that have contracted the most.
Cancun is still far and away the airline industry’s growth market all-star, as it has been for several quarters now. Demand for beach markets is booming, and airlines have responded by adding many more seats. However, It is not always just demand which drives big market changes. Sao Paulo’s Congonhas airport is busier because regulators expanded slot availability. Conversely, Moscow is much less busy for geopolitical reasons.
Newark makes an interesting and somewhat surprising appearance on the list of top growers. Spirit is expanding there using slots formerly held by Southwest. American and JetBlue are also growing there as part of their alliance. Turkish Airlines is new to the market. And most importantly at Newark, United has added new routes and larger planes.
Many of East Asia’s busiest airports, meanwhile, remain far below their pre-Covid levels of activity. That should start changing soon with borders now open and demand now recovering. Keep in mind that Beijing and Chengdu both opened new airports, which helps explain why the old airports are less busy. Also note the troubles at Munich, which lost a lot of its low-cost capacity from carriers like easyJet and Eurowings. Detroit, for its part, lost many seats to Asia (it’s one of Delta’s main Asian gateways).
A final point to note: schedule data is subject to change somewhat as airline adjust their schedules.
NEXT ON THE FLY: What are the top markets for the largest global airlines?
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