|
Shares in major European airlines such as easyJet, British
Airways owner IAG and Ryanair have been hard hit since the
Brexit vote, due to fears over travel demand and whether flying
rights will be affected.
The vote is not expected to impact overall European air traffic
levels this summer, ACI said in its monthly traffic update on
Thursday.
"However, the political instability and uncertainty it has
created in the UK and beyond is already hurting business
confidence and might end up doing the same for consumer
confidence – this could affect demand for air transport later in
the year," Olivier Jankovec said in a statement.
Three percent of Britons with holidays booked this summer plan
to cancel due to concerns over the value of the pound, according
to results of a survey commissioned by online deals website
Travelzoo and carried out after the Brexit vote.
ACI Europe said May traffic data showed the impact of attacks
and geopolitical tensions. Passenger numbers for Turkey were
down 8.2 percent, while Russia saw a 6.5 percent drop.
Overall, traffic at EU airports rose 5.5 percent in May, but
dropped 2.5 percent for non-EU airports, ACI said.
"Some of the leisure demand is shifting towards the EU market –
contributing to boosting EU passenger traffic performance for
airports in Portugal, Spain and Cyprus in particular," Jankovec
said.
(Reporting by Victoria Bryan; Editing by Mark Potter)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
