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In the third quarter of 2020, almost 5,5 million travelers traveled to and from the five national airports in the Netherlands. That is 17,6 million fewer travelers than in the third quarter of 2019, a decrease of 76,3 percent.
Compared to the second quarter of 2020, the number of travelers has increased sixfold. The amount of goods transported by air fell by three percent to 401 thousand tonnes during this period. The number of commercial flights was more than half lower in the third quarter than one year previously.
This is reported by Statistics Netherlands on the basis of new figures.
After the relaxation of measures against the corona virus, the number of air passengers increased in the third quarter compared to previous months. Of the 5,5 million passengers who took to the air in July, August and September, 4,5 million traveled via Amsterdam Schiphol, almost 83 percent of the total number of passengers. 724 thousand passengers traveled via Eindhoven, the second largest airport in the Netherlands, 13 percent of the total. The three other airports, Rotterdam The Hague, Maastricht Aachen and Groningen Eelde, together accounted for just over 4 percent of passengers in the third quarter.
The weight of goods transported by air fell from 413 thousand tonnes in the third quarter of 2019 to 401 thousand tonnes in the third quarter of 2020. The weight of air freight transported to and from Asia increased by 9,5 percent in this period , up to 201 thousand tons; air freight between the Netherlands and non-EU countries in Europe fell by 28,3 percent to 37,8 thousand tonnes.
Aircraft maximum half full with passengers in the last 6 months
In addition to the increase in passenger numbers in the third quarter of 2020 compared to the previous quarter, the occupancy rate of passenger flights also increased. In the first 2 months of this year, this kept pace with that of 2018 and 2019 (an average of 76 percent). In the months that followed, the plane seats were less and less occupied. In April 2020, passenger flights were the least occupied, with an average of 29 passengers per 100 seats. In the summer months of July and August, the occupancy rate rose to 52 and 51 percent respectively, before reaching 41 percent in September.
Shift in number of air passengers within Europe
In 2020, not only has the number of passengers fallen, but the share per destination has also changed. While 2018 percent of all air passengers traveled to and from a destination outside Europe in the third quarter of 2019 and 26, this share had halved to 13 percent in the third quarter of this year. In the third quarter of 2020, 76 percent of all passengers traveled between the Netherlands and other countries within the European Union, compared to 63 percent in 2018 and 2019. Only to and from non-EU countries in Europe did the percentage of air passengers from the Netherlands in these 3 year at 11 percent. In the summer months of 2020, 87 percent of air passengers chose a destination in a European country, compared to 2018 percent in the corresponding period in 2019 and 74.