EANS-News: Vaccination Drive and Testing Strategy Should Enable Healthy Travel for Everyone in 2021 ? Vienna Airport Expects Recovery of Flight Traffic No Later Than in the Second Half of the Year
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Flughafen Wien Group Registers Approx. 75% Passenger Decline in 2020 following
the Record Year 2019: 9.7 Million Passengers in the Group, 7.8 Million at Vienna
Airport
No Keyword/Traffic results 2020/Forecast 2021
Vienna Airport - Vaccination Drive and Testing Strategy Should Enable Healthy
Travel for Everyone in 2021 - Vienna Airport Expects Recovery of Flight Traffic
No Later Than in the Second Half of the Year
Flughafen Wien Group Registers Approx. 75% Passenger Decline in 2020 following
the Record Year 2019: 9.7 Million Passengers in the Group, 7.8 Million at Vienna
Airport
* Traffic forecast for 2021: upturn expected in the second half of the year -
Flughafen Wien AG expects about 12.5 million passengers at Vienna Airport and
15.9 million in the Group, comprising about 40% of total passenger volume in
2019
* Earnings outlook for 2021: Successful cost management and continuation of
short time work will ensure resumption of positive business development, even
at 40% of passenger traffic - EBITDA expected to be positive at approx. EUR
150 million with a consolidated net profit of about EUR 4 million and revenue
of approx. EUR 430 million
* Extension of short time work crucial to preserve and safeguard jobs
* Urgently needed: unified European-wide travel conditions relating to
vaccinations and tests are the decisive factors in determining how quickly the
travel industry will recover
"Vaccinations will lead to a strong upswing - but common travel rules are
required"
"2020 is the most difficult as well as the most bizarre year in airport history.
With a total of 7.8 million passengers, we registered a passenger volume we last
witnessed 26 years ago, in 1994. The weakest day saw only 154 travellers at the
airport. The first months of 2021 remain challenging, but an upturn is on the
horizon. The vaccine has arrived internationally, and from today's perspective
should result in a significant increase in passenger volumes, particularly
starting in the second half of 2021. We anticipate 12.5 million passengers at
Vienna Airport, more than 70% in the second half of the year. However, common,
EU-wide testing strategies and travel regulations are urgently required in order
to return to a rudimentary freedom of travel and thus set the economy and
tourism in motion again. This is the only way to successfully find our way out
of the crisis," states Julian Jäger, Member of the Management Board of Flughafen
Wien AG.
"Extension of short time work is indispensable in safeguarding jobs"
"As one of the most important employers, the travel industry requires further
government support in the form of an extension of the short time work model
which has been extremely successful up until now in order to preserve and
safeguard jobs. This is the prerequisite for preventing layoffs by Flughafen
Wien AG in spite of the approx. 60% drop in traffic compared to 2019. Vienna
Airport has successfully mastered the crisis even if 2020 resulted in a net loss
for the first time. With an equity ratio of about 60% and our being almost debt-
free, we laid a solid foundation in the past profitable years with respect to
our crisis resilience. The successfully implemented cost reduction programme,
government support and the delay of major planned investments enables us to be
more optimistic once again with respect to our business development in 2021 and
return to profitability again. In spite of the difficult phase we are currently
in, the growing confidence on the part of the population concerning the
meaningfulness and effectiveness of the vaccination should lead more people to
once again book holiday flights in the summer and autumn months. This is because
flying will never be as inexpensive in the future as it is now. For this
purpose, we are continuing our comprehensive measures to ensure safe and healthy
travelling. Up until now about 130,000 people have had a COVID-19 PCR test done
at Vienna Airport", says Günther Ofner, Member of the Management Board of
Flughafen Wien AG.
9.7 million passengers (-75.6%) handled by the Flughafen Wien Group in 2020
The Flughafen Wien Group (Vienna Airport and the international strategic
investments in Malta Airport and Kosice Airport) reported a total of 9.7 million
passengers in the year 2020, comprising a year-on-year decrease of 75.6%.
7.8 million passengers (-75.3%) at Vienna Airport
Vienna Airport also registered a massive decline in the number of passengers it
handled, recording a total of 7,812,938 passengers in 2020, a drop of 75.3% from
the prior-year level. This corresponds approximately to the passenger volume of
the year 1994. Passenger volume also declined with respect to transfer traffic
(-79.2%) and local passengers (-74.1%). The number of starts and landings fell
by 64.1%, whereas capacity utilisation of the aircraft (seat load factor)
dropped by 19.9 percentage points to 57.4%. Cargo volume showed a downward
development, decreasing by 23.2% in the year 2020.
A special year for VIE: Longest passenger flight and Europe's first airport
testing station
In any case, 2020 will go down in airport history as a very special year. For
one thing, with only 7.8 million passengers in 2020, Vienna Airport only
registered as "few" passengers as it last did in the year 1994. Vienna Airport
recorded the strongest decreases in April and May 2020, when 99% fewer
passengers were handled, as well as in the months of June, November and
December, when passenger volume was down by more than 90%. On Easter Monday,
namely 13 April 2020, only 154 passengers frequented the terminal building.
1,670 tonnes of medical aid supplies were delivered by airplane. In 2020,
Austrian Airlines flew from Auckland to Vienna, making it the longest passenger
flight to Vienna in the history of Vienna Airport. In order to at least make it
possible for travellers to take business trips, Vienna Airport launched its PCR
testing station in May 2020, making it the European forerunner in this regard.
Up until today, about 130,000 PCR tests have been carried out.
Development of international strategic investments
The international strategic investments of the Flughafen Wien Group were also
strongly impacted by the COVID-10 pandemic. Malta Airport reported a passenger
volume of 1,748,050 travellers, passengers, representing a decline of 76.1% from
2019. Kosice Airport handled 94,428 passengers in 2020, comprising a year-on-
year decrease of 82.6%.
Forecast for passenger development: about 15.9 million passengers in the
Flughafen Wien Group and approx. 12.5 million passengers at Vienna Airport in
2021
The year 2021 will result in an upswing in flight traffic but will remain a
challenging time. From today's perspective, the first three to six months of the
year will remain weak, but a substantial increase in passenger volumes is
expected starting in the summer and in the second half of 2021. Flughafen Wien
AG expects about 12.5 million travellers at Vienna Airport in the entire year
2021, and about 15.9 million travellers in the Flughafen Wien Group (Vienna
Airport and the international strategic investments in Malta Airport and Kosice
Airport). However, the crucial factors to ensure growth once again will be high
vaccination coverage rates achieved as quickly as possible, as well as uniform
travel regulations.
Financial guidance 2021
The Flughafen Wien Group has established a sound economic basis for its business
operations and plans to be profitable again in 2021. The company has secured
sufficient liquidity to cope with all foreseeable crisis scenarios. From today's
perspective, revenue in 2021 is expected to reach a level of EUR 430 million,
generate a positive EBITDA of EUR 150 million and a slightly positive
consolidated net profit of EUR 4 million. Net debt of the company will likely be
reduced to about EUR 100 million. Investments are expected to total approx. EUR
62 million in 2021.
Results in Detail: Traffic Development December and 01-12/2020
Vienna Airport
(VIE)
12/2020 Diff.% 01-12/2020 Diff.%
Passengers 226,837 -90.8 7,812,938 -75.3
arr+dep+transit
Local
passengers 172,664 -91.4 6,298,880 -74.1
arr+dep
Transfer
passengers 51,464 -88.7 1,497,946 -79.2
arr+dep
Flight
movements 4,077 -80.3 95,880 -64.1
arr+dep
Cargo arr+dep 19,667 -13.5 217,888 -23.2
(in tonnes)
MTOW (in 181,942 -78.6 3,987,681 -63.3
tonnes)
Malta Airport (MLA, fully
consolidated)
12/2020 Diff.% 01-12/2020 Diff.%
Passengers 46,475 -90.3 1,748,050 -76.1
arr+dep+transit
Local
passengers 46,061 -90.2 1,736,829 -76.1
arr+dep
Transfer
passengers 378 -92.5 10,864 -77.3
arr+dep
Flight
movements 767 -79.3 18,982 -63.4
arr+dep
Cargo arr+dep 1,299 -17.3 15,788 -3.9
(in tonnes)
MTOW (in 28,450 -80.0 710,752 -64.0
tonnes)
Kosice Airport (KSC, consolidated at equity)
12/2020 Diff.% 01-12/2020 Diff.%
Passengers 4,634 -81.4 96,428 -82.6
arr+dep+transit
Local
passengers 4,634 -81.4 96,315 -82.6
arr+dep
Transfer
passengers 0 n.a. 0 n.a.
arr+dep
Flight
movements 68 -80.3 1,487 -75.3
arr+dep
Cargo arr+dep 0 99.4 5 -87.6
(in tonnes)
MTOW (in 1,807 -74.2 32,357 -78.7
tonnes)
Vienna Airport and strategic investments (VIE,
MLA, KSC)
12/2020 Diff.% 01-12/2020 Diff.%
Passengers 277,946 -90.6 9,657,416 -75.6
arr+dep+transit
Local
passengers 223,359 -91.1 8,132,024 -74.7
arr+dep
Transfer
passengers 51,842 -88.8 1,508,810 -79.2
arr+dep
Flight
movements 4,912 -80.1 116,349 -64.2
arr+dep
Cargo arr+dep 20,967 -13.7 233,680 -22.2
(in tonnes)
MTOW (in 212,199 -78.8 4,730,790 -63.6
tonnes)
Note: Total number of passengers includes local, transfer and transit
passengers.
Traffic data adjusted
Further inquiry note:
Contact: Corporate Communications Flughafen Wien AG
Press Office
Peter Kleemann, Company Spokesman
Tel.: (+43-1-) 7007-23000
E-Mail: p.kleemann@viennaairport.com
Website: www.viennaairport.com
Investor Relations
Christian Schmidt, Head of Investor Relations
Tel.: (+43-1-) 7007-23126
E-mail: christian.schmidt@viennaairport.com
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