The collapse of air traffic caused by Covid with “an average decrease of 72.5% with a point of over 90% is a phenomenon never recorded in modern civil aviation which has had a more or less constant growth over time”. This is the laconic comment by Alessio Quaranta, director general of ENAC on the data published by the body for 2020, which show that only 52,759,724 passengers passed through Italian airports compared to 192 million the previous year.
Rome Fiumicino airport is confirmed in first place, followed by Milan Malpensa which was in first position for cargo transport. The overall ranking of national and international scheduled and charter connections sees Ryanair at the top, followed by Alitalia and EasyJet. The national airline is confirmed as the first for national traffic, which with 25 million passengers recorded a more moderate decrease, -61.1%. The international contraction was stronger: -78.3%, with a total of approximately 27,700,000 passengers.
The overall movements of aircraft in 2020 were 551,071, with a decrease of 61.8% compared to 2019. Faced with a general contraction in movements, individual airports have had variations in countertrend, such as that of Brescia – highlights Enac – which recorded significant growth of + 42% (5.3 thousand movements), supported by the movement of goods. The cargo sector, although also affected by the crisis of the entire system, recorded a smaller contraction as goods continued to travel.
“We must think about the present and the future of the sector, focusing on demand and the desire to start traveling again for tourism and business. Now all the players in the sector, hit across the board by the pandemic crisis, must operate with the aim of a rapid restart of air traffic, starting with the rebuilding of passenger confidence “, explains general manager Quaranta. “Returning to travel in complete safety is not just a wish, but a recovery objective towards which all the categories concerned must converge” echoes the Minister of Sustainable Infrastructures and Mobility, Enrico Giovannini.