One of the world’s largest airport operators, the French VINCI Airports, reported that its global network mobilized 267 million passengers in 2023, a figure 26% higher than that of 2022, but still 4.3% below 2019 levels.
Nevertheless, the path to recovery remained firm as in the fourth quarter of 2023 traffic already exceeded by 0.6% that of the same period in 2019.
The company highlighted that five airports achieved record passenger numbers, two of them in Latin America and the Caribbean: Monterrey with 13.3 million and Santo Domingo with 5 million. In addition, Lisbon Airport mobilized 33 million, Porto 15 million, and Belgrade 7 million.
In Mexico, VINCI Airports is present as the majority shareholder of OMA (29.99%), an operating company of 13 airports that together mobilized 26.83 million passengers in 2023, 16% more than in 2022 and 2019.
In Dominican Republic VINCI Airports owns 100% of the shares of Aerodom, operator of the airports of Santo Domingo, Puerto Plata, Samana, and La Isabela, which together mobilized 6.58 million passengers in 2023, 10% more than in 2022 and 17% more than in 2019.
In Santo Domingo, VINCI Airports highlights the key role played by the deployment of the new Dominican airline, Arajet, whose traffic grew 2.3 times, while other airlines like Delta and United also had significant growth of 39% and 57% respectively.
The Brazilian airports of VINCI Airports mobilized 11.49 million, 3.8% more than in 2022 but still 6.7% below 2019, mainly due to the recovery path still needed for Salvador and Manaus to regain pre-pandemic traffic levels.
In United States VINCI Airports has a presence in Orlando-Sanford (100%) and in Hollywood-Burbank and Atlantic City airports, the latter two through a management contract. These three terminals mobilized 9.9 million passengers in 2023, representing a growth of 2.6% compared to 2022, and -4.8% compared to 2019.
VINCI Airports also owns a 45% stake in Guanacaste Airport, Costa Rica, and 40% in Nuevo Pudahuel, operator of Santiago de Chile’s airport.
The Central American terminal mobilized 1.65 million passengers in 2023, 14% more than in 2022 and 35% more than in 2019, driven by the flow of North American tourists.
Santiago’s Comodoro Arturo Merino Benitez Airport mobilized 23.34 million passengers, 25% higher than in 2022 but still 5.3% below 2019, although in the last quarter of 2023 a real growth of 6.9% was already recorded.
VINCI Airports also operates in Portugal (Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Madeira, and Azores), the United Kingdom (Gatwick and Belfast), France (Lyon-LYS, Lyon-LYN, Nantes Atlantique, Rennes Bretagne, Grenoble Alpes Isere, Chambéry Savoie Mont Blanc, Touloyn Hyeres, and Clermont Ferrand Auvergne), Serbia (Belgrade), Japan (Kansai, Itami, and Kobe), Cambodia (Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville) and Cape Verde (Praia, Sal, Sao Vicente, and Boa Vista).
