Air traffic takes off again in Toulouse! The improvement in the health situation seems to have convinced travelers to get back on the plane. This is the assessment of the year 2021, marked by two very distinct periods: a first half very impacted by travel restrictions, during which traffic represented only 20.5% from 2019. Then, a clear recovery from the summer, thanks to the relaxation of these measures. Air traffic then corresponded to 58,3% of pre-pandemic traffic, in 2019.
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Primacy of domestic flights
Annual traffic for 2021 thus stood at 3,821,653 passengers, or “39.7% of the 2019 benchmark” specifies the Toulouse terminal in a press release. International, more exposed to differences in health policies between countries, was strongly affected by border restrictions (29.3% of 2019).
Air transport is strongly affected for the second consecutive year. But the resumption of traffic from the summer, as soon as the travel measures have been reduced, shows how much our customers aspire to travel again”, notes Philippe CrebassaChairman of the Management Board of Toulouse-Blagnac Airport.
Domestic traffic held up better (49.9% of 2019), accounting for 63.5% of the airport’s total traffic.
Line Toulouse-Orly remains the busiest, with 1 million passengers, traffic with the two Paris airports representing 40.4% of the platform’s activity (1.5 million passengers). In the regions, the main line remains Toulouse-Lyonwith almost 190,000 passengers transported. Annual statistics which confirm the balances observed in the 4th quarter of 2021, with national traffic (934,914 passengers; 62.9% of total traffic) more dynamic than international (551,623 passengers; 37.1% of total traffic) in the last three months of the year.
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Air France, first airline at Toulouse airport
On the airline side, Air France remains the first pavilion of the platform, ensuring 57,8% domestic traffic. As for the low cost sector which represents 44,2% of airport traffic, it has regained and even “slightly exceeded its pre-crisis market share” details the airport. EasyJet remains the first low-cost airline, with 53.8% of low-cost traffic. The reduced activity logically generated a number of aircraft movements that was much lower than in 2019, with 50 365 movements, either -50% of the pre-pandemic year.
the freight and post traffic, less affected than “passenger” traffic due to new consumption patterns and the resumption of economic activity in Occitania, amounted to 70% of the year 2019, with 47,563 tons processed.
Boosting activities in the terminal
In L’terminala new service was launched for business customers: the circuit Premium, which optimizes the travel time to the aircraft. One sorting center dedicated to air freight was delivered to FedEx, Hutchinson took possession of its new business premises.
Finally, Blagnac airport has dedicated a parcel of the airport concession to the construction of a biomass boiler room, connected to the Blagnac heating network. The infrastructure aims to reduce its carbon footprint. It already supplies Halls A, B and C of the airport in winter. The terminal has also joined forces with the European Stargate project, selected by the European Commission as part of its Green Deal. The latter contributes to the development of innovative solutions to accelerate the decarbonization of air transport.
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