Since November 1, Clermont-Ferrand airport has hosted a third weekly rotation for Porto, Portugal. Good news for passengers, but also for the platform which, even if it is progressing, is struggling to regain its pre-COVID attendance.
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Until now, between Clermont-Ferrand and Porto, there were two rotations per week. But the success of the line convinced Ryanair to add a third. When getting off the plane, passengers appreciate this direct connection. A passenger says: “Two hours by plane is much better than twelve hours by car. We don't have to drive, we just have to sleep”. Another adds: “It's great. I've been coming by plane for years. Now the car is banned”. A passenger underlines: “You can spend a few days in Porto from Clermont-Ferrand. It's a beautiful destination”.
Today, Clermont airport offers 4 regular lines. There is Porto but also Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Fez in Morocco, and Ajaccio in summer. But we are a long way from the early 2000s, when destinations numbered in the dozens, or even before the COVID epidemic. While it welcomed more than 400,000 passengers in 2019, the airport, which fell below 100,000 in 2021, is back on track but without returning to its pre-pandemic figures. Jean-Léopold Vié, director of Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne airport, insists: “In 2023, we welcomed 230,000 passengers, with an increase of 22% compared to 2022. We have a 3rd line to Porto and we have a strengthening of the line to Fez in Morocco at the end of winter. We have a very important action to seek out the airlines and to continue the work of connectivity of the territory”.
Without announcing any objectives, the airport operator is rather optimistic for the future. It is counting on its good occupancy rates, announced between 80 and 90%, to convince companies to come and land in Clermont-Ferrand.
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