Air travel at less than one-tenth in June 2020

The impact of the measures taken in response to COVID-19 determine the aviation figures over the first six months of 2020. Passenger numbers at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Eindhoven Airport were down in June 2020 year-on-year, declining by 92.8 percent to 471 thousand for Amsterdam and by 92.9 percent to 47 thousand for Eindhoven. Passenger traffic to and from the other three airports, Rotterdam The Hague, Maastricht Aachen and Groningen Eelde combined stood at 8.4 thousand, against 310 thousand in June 2019.

International air travel mainly within Europe

In the months of April, May and June, a total of over 880 thousand passengers travelled by air between the Netherlands and a destination abroad. Nearly 17 percent flew to and from the Americas, while slightly over 12 percent travelled to and from Asia. Almost 70 percent (613 thousand travellers) stayed within Europe. Compared to the 16.2 million travellers who flew between the Netherlands and another European country in Q2 2019, this is a decrease of 96.2 percent.

In Q2 2020, passenger traffic within Europe was busiest between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom with a share of 12.1 percent. Germany and Spain followed with shares of 9.3 and 8.1 percent respectively.

Increase in cargo transport via Maastricht Aachen

In June 2020, the volume of air cargo declined by 7.5 percent relative to the same month last year. In the Netherlands, cargo transport only takes place from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Maastricht Aachen Airport. The bulk of cargo is carried via Schiphol: 108.2 thousand tonnes of goods in June. In the same month, Maastricht Aachen handled 13.5 thousand tonnes of cargo.

Unlike Amsterdam, Maastricht handled more goods in Q2 2020 than in the same period last year. In April, May and June, 10.6 percent of total air cargo transport to and from the Netherlands went via Maastricht Aachen. This is more than in Q2 2019, when the share amounted to 7.1 percent.