The airport argues that the increase in passengers is not parallel to that of aircraft: the increase in aircraft movements was limited to 2% during the summer, thanks to aircraft that were often larger and 86% full.
Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport announced on Monday that it had recorded 3.46 million passengers in July and August, an increase of 3.7% compared to the same period last year, which has made hotels on the coast happy. The third largest airport in France after those in Paris, Nice has already almost returned to its pre-Covid crisis level – 14.08 million passengers compared to 14.35 million in 2019 – and on Friday, August 2, it saw a record number of passengers with 63,041.
This craze has sometimes caused “saturation situations”acknowledged Franck Goldnadel, chairman of the board of Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur, hoping that the controversial work to extend Terminal 2 will allow for a better reception “as of next summer”. This terminal expansion project is contested by environmental associations and local residents. In December 2023, the Marseille administrative court of appeal requested a new study taking into account the environmental impact of air traffic and not just the new buildings, without however suspending the work. The airport argues that the increase in passengers is not parallel to that of planes: this summer, the increase in aircraft movements was limited to 2%, thanks to planes that were often larger and 86% full, which still leaves room for improvement.
Long-courriers
European origins and destinations still make up the bulk of traffic, with 64% of passengers, and continue to drive its growth (+34% with Spain, +32% with Greece), while France represents 22% of traffic, down 10% compared to 2023. Long-haul flights, on the other hand, are a strong area of growth: this summer, Nice offered seven direct flights to North America (+44% of passenger traffic with the United States, +23% with Canada) and six to the Gulf countries (+120% with Saudi Arabia, +60% with Qatar).
And it is precisely the increase in American and Middle Eastern visitors that has allowed Cannes to experience a summer season “particularly flourishing” with an average occupancy rate of its hotels and palaces of 90.9% this summer (five points more than in 2023), according to a report from the town hall last week. In Nice, the occupancy rate between 1is July and August 15 approached 89%, with a peak of 98% at the arrival of the Tour de France in mid-July, the metropolis announced two weeks ago during an initial assessment of a very successful summer season.
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