March 2016 shows growth of +0.8% despite the severe impact of a number of events

Traffic at Bordeaux Airport was up +0.8% in March 2016, with 384,450 passengers during the month, despite a very adverse environment, with strikes on 20, 21 and 31 March leading to the cancellation of 126 flights and loss of 12,500 passengers, or -3.3% of traffic. Events in Brussels also had a significant effect on air traffic. Overall, international traffic rose by 2.5%, with 145,460 passengers. National traffic was down slightly, by 0.4%, with 663,220 passengers. Low-cost flights remained the key growth driver: + 4.4% compared to 2015, with 136,350 passengers.

Scheduled international traffic increased by 2.5% to 145,460 passengers. Certain international hubs showed particularly strong performances: Amsterdam, served by KLM and easyJet (+15.8%), followed by Istanbul (+11.9%), Rome Fiumicino (+11.3%) and Casablanca (+6.1%). The result was similar for Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle (+4%). Dublin posted the best growth of the month, up 31.9% on March 2015.

Scheduled domestic traffic was down 0.4% as a direct result of the 3 days of strikes, with Orly in particular posting a decline of 5.9%. Conversely, we should point to the increases for Lille (HOP! and easyJet) with 34,000 passengers (+10.7%), Strasbourg (HOP! and Volotea), 20,650 passengers (+24.3%) and Brest (Chalair Aviation), 1,445 passengers (+53.9%).

Low-cost activity continued to drive growth and represented 35.4% of overall traffic. 136,350 passengers were recorded in March, an increase of 4.4% on 2015.

Mention should also be made of the opening of 3 of the 12 new summer routes: Caen by Chalair Aviation on 15 March, Berlin and Marseille by easyJet on 27 March.