Successful year 2023: the airport handled more than 1.8 million passengers

18. 01. 2024 – BRATISLAVA – Airport Bratislava has had another successful year, which confirms the interest of Slovaks in air travel or holidays. In 2023, Bratislava Airport handled a total of 1 813 660 passengers on departures and arrivals. The passenger renewal rate reached 79 % compared to the pre-pandemic year 2019. This is a 29 % increase compared to 2022.

In 2023, the airport handled 1,257,640 passengers on scheduled services. In non-scheduled and other transport, Bratislava Airport handled 556 020 passengers, thus the passenger recovery rate in this type of transport represents an increase of up to 138% compared to 2019.

"First of all, thank you to everyone who used flights from Bratislava Airport. The airport has undergone several significant innovations this year, which I believe have contributed to better choice and comfort when travelling. In addition to the launch of online parking booking, the addition of airport services, we have brought destinations such as Athens, Podgorica and Kaunas, Lithuania. The launch of regular charter flights on the Airbus A350-900 long-haul aircraft was also a turning point, opening the door to other intercontinental destinations. I firmly believe that we will continue in the set direction also thanks to joint teamwork," said the Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Bratislava Airport, Ing. Dušan Novota.

In the month of December, a total of 96 222 passengers were handled on arrival and departure. Compared to the same period last year, this is a 34% increase. The passenger renewal rate from 2019 thus reached 66% in December.

In 2023, 26 386 take-offs and landings took place at the airport. Compared to 2022, this represents an increase of 9%. In December this year alone, there were 1 391 flights.

TOP month and day

The strongest month in 2023 was August, in which the airport carried 309,761 passengers on departures and arrivals. The day on which the most passengers were carried was 2 August. Bratislava Airport handled 12 473 passengers on departures and arrivals on this day.

Historical milestone

An important historical event for the airport last year was the launch of long-haul flights with the Airbus A350-900 by the Spanish company World2Fly. This is the first regular connection with a long-haul aircraft from Bratislava Airport. Last year, the airport received permission from the Slovak Transport Authority to operate selected aircraft of category E. This meant the introduction of wide-body aircraft for long-haul flights.

TOP destinations for 2023:

1.            Antalya

2.            London (Stansted+Luton)

3.            Milan

4.            Burgas

5.            Hurghada

TOP destinations in regular traffic:

1. London (Stansted+Luton)

2.            Milan

3.            Malta

4.            Dublin

5.            Skopje

Air carriers

Air carriers operated 38 scheduled routes to 34 destinations in 18 countries last year. By comparison, in 2019, air carriers operated 55 scheduled services to 50 destinations in 18 countries (note: calculated using the same methodology).

In 2023, the following airlines operated scheduled services: Ryanair, Smartwings, Wizz Air, Aegean Airlines, Air Montenegro, Tus Air and Air Cairo.