The second year of the COVID-19 pandemic is over. The light at the end of the tunnel is not yet visible, although there are rumors that the pandemic will end in 2022. However, 2021 was a better year for travel and tourism.
Europe's major airports have reported increasing passenger air traffic in 2021 compared to 2020, but well below what 2019 meant in numbers.
- Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport - 26.2 million passengers in 2021. Passenger air traffic is up 17.7% compared to 2020, but 36.6% lower than in 2019
- Munich International Airport Franz Josef Strauß (Munich International Airport) - 12.5 million passengers in 2021. Air traffic is up 12.5% compared to 2020, but about 75% lower than in 2019.
- London Heathrow International Airport - 19.4 million passengers in 2021. Air traffic reported by London Airport is 12.3% lower than in 2020 when it reported over 22 million passengers) and 76% lower than in 2019 when it reported approximately 80.8 million passengers.
- Frankfurt International Airport - 24.8 million passengers in 2021. Air traffic is growing by 32.2% compared to 2020, with a spectacular return in the second half of last year, but by 64.8% lower than in 2019.
- Amsterdam Schiphol Airport - 25.5 million passengers in 2021. Passenger air traffic and is increasing by 22% compared to 2020, but by 64% lower than in 2019.
As can be seen, major airports in Europe have reported a higher number of passengers by 2021, but they still have much to recover from pre-COVID passenger air traffic. According to an ICAO report, In 2021, about 2.3 billion passengers traveled globally, about 50% lower than in 2019 when there were 4.5 billion passengers.