VIA sees lower passenger numbers

Passenger numbers at Vienna International Airport (VIA) fell last month, airport officials reported. They said numbers were down 1.8 per cent year on year in November to 1.38 million, adding they dropped nine per cent year on year to 16.76 million in the first 11 months of 2009.

In November, VIA said, the number of passengers heading to destinations in Eastern Europe fell 8.9 per cent year on year while the number travelling to the Middle East rose 0.5 per cent year on year, and the number going to locations in Western Europe increased 1.3 per cent year on year.

Take-offs and landings fell 3.1 per cent year on year, and the number of transfer passengers dropped 2.6 per cent year on year in November, VIA added.

Freight, however, rose by 23.8 per cent year on year in November but declined by 7.5 per cent year on year during the first 11 months of 2009, VIA said.

Airport chiefs reported last month that VIA earnings had shrunk in the first three quarters of this year.
Turnover fell by 10.4 per cent to 374.4 million Euros year on year, VIA bosses said, adding that operative earnings before interest and taxes had shrunk by 26.6 per cent to 82.8 million Euros.

Meanwhile, an audit of construction of a new terminal is continuing after the cost of building the "Skylink" terminal – originally estimated to be 400 million Euros – more than doubled, Austrian Times reported.

Source: Transportweekly