In addition to an increase in the number of passengers, the number of passenger flights also increased.
In the third quarter of 2022, 18,7 million passengers traveled to and from one of the five national airports in the Netherlands. That is one and a half times as many as the 12 million passengers in the third quarter of 2021. In the third quarter of 2019, before the corona pandemic, more than 23 million passengers flew to and from the Netherlands. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of new figures on aviation.
In addition to an increase in the number of passengers, the number of passenger flights also increased. In the third quarter of 2022, there were 124 thousand passenger flights, almost 27 percent more than in the third quarter of 2021, and almost double compared to 2020. In the third quarter of 2019, there were almost 150 thousand passenger flights.
More aircraft seats occupied than in previous years
In the third quarter of 2022, the average occupancy rate of aircraft to and from the five Dutch airports was almost 80 percent, in the third quarter of 2021 it was over 66 percent. In the third quarter of 2020, the occupancy rate was still almost 48 percent, while it was over 2019 percent in the same period of 83.
Three quarters of passengers had their destination and origin within Europe
In the third quarter of 2022, nearly 75 percent (13,9 million people) of all air passengers traveled to and from a destination within Europe. The most popular countries of origin and destination were Spain, the United Kingdom and Italy. Of those with origins or destinations outside Europe, just over a third (1,7 million passengers) flew to or from the United States. Canada and the United Arab Emirates followed as the most popular destinations outside Europe.
Although more people traveled by plane in the third quarter of 2019 (23,1 million people) than in the same quarter of 2022, the share of all air passengers to and from destinations within Europe was comparable (74,1 percent). In the third quarter of 2020 and 2021, due to the restrictive measures to combat the corona pandemic, travelers stayed closer to home; respectively, 87,1 and 80,4 percent of all air passengers traveled to and from a destination within Europe, according to the CBS.
