Netherlands: Air Traffic Increased by Five Times This Year, Reaching 10.1 Million Passengers
According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the volume of air cargo fell by nearly 11 per cent in the first quarter of 2022. In addition, during the first two months, the airports processed 2.8 and three million passengers, which is relatively higher than the same rates in 2021, when 910,000 and 520,000 passengers were reported, respectively, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
Furthermore, there were 4.2 million passengers in March alone, indicating that 3.6 million more than in the corresponding time in 2021 and almost 1.5 million more than in March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke.
Although the aviation industry is recovering as countries are relaxing their travel restrictions, the commercial air traffic remains below the pre-pandemic levels, as 73 per cent fewer flights were operated during the first quarter of the year. The number of inbound and outbound flights was 47,000 per month on average in 2019 and 2019; this barely reached 4,800 in April 2020 and 37,300 in August of 2021.
As per airports, in 2020 and 2021, there was a surge noticed in cargo air traffic at Maastricht Aachen Airport. However, this airport recorded the lowest declines compared to 2019, 85 and 92 per cent, respectively.
The number of flights declined drastically at Groningen-Eelde Airport since those numbers dropped by over 80 per cent in both years. At Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, commercial traffic nearly halved in 2020 and 2021; however, during the first quarter, it was at 72 per cent, close to 2019 levels.
More specifically, the commercial air traffic during the first quarter of 2022 varied, as the following list shows:
- Amsterdam Schiphol (7,199)
- Rotterdam the Hague (7,564)
- Eindhoven (8,897)
- Mastricht Aachen (9,546)
- Groningen Eelde (3,629)
The air cargo volume was less fluctuated during the 2019 and 2022 periods, as it amounted to 1.80 million tonnes in 2021. Over the past two and a half decades, this increased only in 2017 (1.84 million) and in 2018 (1.82 million).
As CBS reveals, 33 per cent of all air cargo transportation over this period was carried to and from China and the United States.
The Netherlands and non-EU countries in Europe accounted for 12.9 thousand tonnes transported to and from Russia, which represents nearly 34 per cent of the total volume. Russia was followed by Turkey with 10.7 thousand tonnes.
