In 2022, altogether 61.3 million air passengers traveled to and from the five main airports of the Netherlands. This is more than twice as many as in 2021, but still a quarter fewer than in 2019. The number of commercial flights to and from these airports stood at 463 thousand. This is a 53-per cent increase in 2021, but a decrease of over 18 per cent relative to 2019. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this based on newly released figures.
August was the busiest month in 2022, with 44.9 thousand flights. That month also saw the highest number of passengers travelling to and from the Netherlands: 6.4 million. The busiest day was Monday 1 August, when a total of 221 thousand passengers passed through the terminals of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Rotterdam The Hague Airport, Eindhoven Airport, Maastricht Aachen Airport and Groningen Airport Eelde.
Increasing seat occupancy rates
Besides the passenger numbers, the number of passenger flights also showed an increase. The average aircraft occupancy rate rose as well. In 2022, seat occupancy on passenger flights was 76 out of 100. In 2019, this was 81 out of 100. In 2020 and 2021, the average occupancy rate amounted to 57 and 58 per cent, respectively.
Almost 3/4 of passengers travelled within Europe
Of the 61.3 million passengers who flew to and from the Netherlands in 2022, more than 74 per cent travelled within Europe. Passengers to and from Spain (8.4 million) and to and from the United Kingdom (6.7 million) constituted the largest share. Together, they accounted for 24.7 per cent of the total number of air passengers carried. In 2019, it was still the other way around; most air passengers flew to and from the United Kingdom (11.3 million) and to and from Spain (8.7 million). Among countries outside Europe, the United States was the most popular. In 2020 and 2021, travellers stayed closer to home and travelled mainly within Europe.
1.5 million passengers to and from Barcelona-El Prat
The majority of passengers travelling through Dutch airports in 2022 flew between the Netherlands and Barcelona-El Prat. In 2019, passenger traffic was highest to and from London Heathrow (1.7 million passengers).
