• 156.6 million passengers in 2017, all airports combined;

• 12.4% growth in passenger traffic compared to 2016;

• Continued steady growth in traffic in the fourth quarter: +11.9%;

• Annual passenger milestones reached: 50 million in Portugal, 25 million in Lisbon, 20 million in Santiago du Chili, 10 million in Lyon-Saint Exupéry and Porto.

In the fourth quarter of 2017, the network of airports managed by VINCI Airports served 38.5 million passengers, of which 36.5 million in the airports held on 1 January 2017, an increase of 11.9% compared to Q4 2016 on a like-for-like network basis. Over full year 2017, the VINCI Airports network served 156.6 million passengers, of which 148.9 million in the airports held on 1 January 2017, i.e. a 12,4%* increase over the previous year.

In Portugal, the 10 airports managed by VINCI Airports reported a 12.5% increase in traffic in the fourth quarter over 2016, with 11.7 million passengers. The recovery in growth of traffic with Brazil was confirmed, while the American market remained dynamic thanks to the opening of numerous new lines in the summer of 2017, the impact of which boosted growth in the last quarter.
In 2017, for the first time in their history, the 10 airports managed by VINCI Airports in Portugal rose over the symbolic 50 million passenger mark, serving 51.8 million passengers over 12 months, i.e. 7 million more than in 2016 (+16.5%), including  four million more passengers in the Lisbon hub alone (+18.8%), with a total of 26.7 million passengers served at year end.
The other Portuguese airports also reported annual traffic records, exceeding symbolic thresholds for the first time: over 10 million passengers for Porto, 8 million for Faro and 3 million for Funchal in Madeira.
 
In Cambodia, the very strong growth in traffic observed since January in the country's three airports continued into the fourth quarter. From October to December, the Cambodian airports welcomed 2.5 million passengers, up 23.7% on the previous year. These results reflect record development of traffic from China, together with good performances for all the airline companies based in the country.
For the first time,  the Cambodian airports rose above the 8 million passengers milestone in 2017, serving 8.8 million passengers over the full year (+25.1%), 4.2 million each for the Phnom Penh and Siem Reap airports (+25% and 21% respectively). The Sihanoukville tourist airport reported exceptionally sharp growth (+115%) since the beginning of the year, with 338,000 passengers.
 
In France, traffic rose sharply in the fourth quarter (+10.1%).
Exceptionally high growth trends continued in the fourth quarter for Nantes Atlantique, with traffic up 18.8%. All segments contributed, with particularly strong growth in international traffic. Five new lines were inaugurated in the fourth quarter and 12 seasonal lines now operate on a full-year basis. Since the beginning of the year, Nantes Atlantique has served 5.5 million passengers, i.e. 700,000 more than in 2016 (+14.9%).
 
Growth in traffic remained brisk in the Rennes Bretagne (+10%) and Dinard Bretagne (+16.3%) airports in the fourth quarter, confirming strong demand in western France. With a rise of 13.1% since the beginning of the year, Rennes Bretagne rose over the 700,000-passenger mark for the first time, on the back of sharp growth in traffic to European destinations.
Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport reported growth of 6.8% in the fourth quarter, driven by international traffic, to Europe and North Africa in particular. With growth of 7.7% since the beginning of the year, Lyon-Saint Exupéry is confirming the change in scale following inauguration of the new T1 terminal in October 2017. The symbolic milestone of 10 million passengers was exceeded in December, with 10.3 million passengers welcomed over the full year.
The VINCI Airports network's French platforms served 18.2 million passengers in 2017, up 9.4% on 2016.
 
In Chile, the Santiago airport, where the foundation stone for the future terminal was laid in September 2017, reported 13.3% growth in the fourth quarter, with almost 5.8 million passengers welcomed. The new low-cost company JetSmart is continuing to stimulate domestic traffic, and international traffic - notably from Brazil and Argentina - also remained brisk, with growth of almost 30%.
Thanks to an increase of 11.6% since the beginning of the year, the Santiago International Airport had served more than 21 million passengers by end December, i.e. 2 million more than in 2016.
 
In Japan, the Kansai airports posted growth of 10.3% in the fourth quarter compared to 2016. As in the previous quarter, this increase is due largely to continuing strong development of international traffic, notably with China, and to very dynamic growth on the part of Korean low-cost companies, all of which increased their capacity at Kansai International Airport (KIX). The fourth quarter also saw a recovery of growth in traffic with Europe. In November, the four airline companies serving European destinations from KIX reported average seat-occupancy rates of over 90%. Traffic at KIX rose 15.6% in the last three months of the year.
Since the beginning of the year, the KIX and Osaka-Itami airports have welcomed close to 43.6 million passengers, up 8.5% on 2016.
 
In the Dominican Republic, the six airports managed by VINCI Airports reported growth of 0.9% in the fourth quarter. The passage of hurricanes Irma and Maria in September led to a sharp drop in traffic to and from Puerto Rico (-31,000 passengers in Q4),  although this fall was offset by brisk traffic from North America, notably Canada and Mexico, which posted double-digit growth rates.
All in all, the passage of the two hurricanes resulted in an estimated shortfall of around 45,000 passengers. With more than 5.1 million passengers served since the beginning of the year, the airports managed by VINCI Airports in the Dominican Republic reported traffic growth of 3.7% at year end.
 
These excellent fourth-quarter performances confirm trends observed in the first nine months of the year. In 2017, VINCI Airports network platforms served close to 149 million passengers, an increase of 12.4% over the previous year. If we include Salvador Airport in Brazil, which VINCI Airports started operating on 2 January 2018, annual traffic in the network rose to 156.6 million passengers. These results reflect the proactive traffic development policy deployed by VINCI Airports with airline companies. Over the network as a whole, 272 new lines were opened in 2017.

See more