Significant growth in international travelers

03-05-2023

In April, the international traffic at Aarhus Airport saw more than just positive signs. There was a remarkable increase of 59 percent in the number of passengers traveling to and from international destinations compared to the same month in 2022.

Aarhus Airport is experiencing a strong growth in passenger numbers. In April, a total of 47,602 passengers traveled to or from the airport in eastern Jutland, representing an overall increase of 39 percent compared to the same month in 2022. The positive trend continues when comparing the numbers to 2019, where April had 40,483 air travelers. The international air traffic, in particular, has seen significant growth. In April 2023, international traffic increased by 44 percent compared to 2019, while domestic traffic remained relatively stable.

The number of international passengers in April increased by more than 12,000 compared to March 2023. April was the first full month with the new routes from Aarhus Airport to Faro in southern Portugal and Palma de Mallorca. These routes are operated by the airport’s largest airline partner, Ryanair, which also increased capacity to London and Gdańsk, and started summer flights to Riga, Latvia. Swedish airline BRA experienced strong demand for its weekday route between Aarhus and Stockholm, while SAS’ Oslo route has regained popularity among business travelers. Bucharest, which is served by Wizz Air twice a week, has been well received by passengers from eastern Jutland, while the Egyptian destinations of Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada have attracted a large number of sun-seeking guests from both Fyn and Jutland, reflecting in the uplifting traffic figures for April.

The new airport director expects the positive development to continue, and it will soon no longer be necessary to compare the numbers to pre-pandemic levels.

The summer schedule includes new destinations such as Visby on the island of Gotland in Sweden, recently announced by BRA. Milan, Zadar, Corfu, Malaga, Preveza, Chania, Zakynthos, Cyprus, and Bornholm are also on the departure board in Aarhus this summer. Charter company Spies is increasing trips to Mallorca, while Gislev Rejser has included Naples and trips to the Amalfi Coast on the summer schedule. From July onwards, Ryanair will further increase the frequency to London to ten weekly flights.