This week’s EUROCONTROL European Aviation Overview showed that flight numbers in the Euro network have climbed to 94% of flights for the same period in August 2019 (pre-pandemic). As Travel Tomorrow has reported, 32,420 average daily flights were recorded, up 7% on 2022.
But while the data shows a decent recovery of capacity for certain airlines and airports – in particular Ryanair, Wizz, and Turkish Airlines, and within the top ten airports Istanbul (IST) International and Antalya (AYT) –, it also reveals a worryingly slow recovery for Germany. Consumer caution, subsidies on other areas of the economy and airport delays could be part of the problem.
Germany’s aviation performance in detail
Germany did manage to come third in the list of top performing countries, with 5000 flights recorded for the week 9th-15th August (15% of the total). However, numbers were actually down by -14% compared to the same week in 2019, ranking 32nd out of 40 States, on this measure.
The report also notes that Germany accounted for the largest proportion (36%) of all en-route air traffic control management delays, mainly concentrated in the Karlsruhe and Munich air cargo community systems. Not good, when it is considered that the UK recorded the most flights (6,033) and Spain was second (5518), but despite that quantity of traffic, they saw less than 3% and 7% of delays respectively.
The German aviation system therefore is still showing signs of straining to cope.
In terms of specific German airports, only Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC) made it into the top ten airlines for raw flight numbers. Only Frankfurt added any flights compared to this time last year (+12%) but it remained down on 2019 by -13%.
Worse, Munich, added zero flights compared to the same period in 2022 and remained a colossal -22% down on the same period in 2019, the worst performance in the top ten. For comparison, both Turkey’s top-ten-listed airports succeeded in a) building on 2022’s flights and b) being up on 2019.
What sits behind Germany’s slow recovery?
Simple Flying reported at the start of 2023 on the slow pace of Germany’s aviation recovery, compared to other European nations. Domestic travel was a large part of the problem for a while, barely reaching 50% of pre-pandemic levels at the start of the year. Some might argue that figure was in line with low consumer confidence worldwide since 2022’s inflationary shocks, but Germans seemed to be feeling particularly cautious from mid-last year, reported DW.
The war in Ukraine and fears over energy supplies and prices saw Germans managing their spending power carefully. Helpful government subsidies on public transport and motor fuel may have had the unintended consequence of suppressing German holidaymakers’ appetite to get on a plane.
Light at the end of the tunnel
German consumer confidence has now lifted again since an all-time low last year, with Reuters reporting months of rising income expectations that hit their highest level since February 2022 in July 2023. This optimism however did not translate itself into an immediate spending spree, with only a marginal increase in willingness-to-buy.
Still, WTTC (World Travel and Tourism Council) noted this month that Germany’s travel and tourism sector has now grown “by 43.4% to reach more than €338BN, representing 8.8% of the economy, edging closer to the 2019 high of €374BN.”
WTTC also remarks that Germany has regained over 50% of the 1MN jobs lost during the pandemic, and now accounts for one in eight jobs across the country.
In addition, domestic visitor spend has finally “gone up to only just below its pre-pandemic level of €307.8 billion (currently €304.4 billion), a year-on-year increase of 49%.” International arrivals are back too, spending 61% more than the previous year.
Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, put a positive spin on the numbers: “Germany is forecast to remain the fifth most popular tourism destination in Europe over the next decade, demonstrating its enduring appeal.”
