ORANJESTAD – Aruba Airport Authority N.V. (AAA) reports on Queen Beatrix International Airport’s (AUA Airport) performance for December 2021.
December 2021 was another month with yet another satisfying recovery rate versus the same period in 2019. The total revenue-generating passengers (departing passengers) handled in 2021 represented a recovery of 69% versus 2019.
December 2021
In December 2021, AUA Airport handled 91,086 departing passengers. This was 7% more than the month before. During this month, AUA Airport recovered 86% of the amount of departing passengers handled in 2019 during that same month. In December 2021 67,011 passengers (pax) traveled to the US, 3,764 pax to Canada, 6,963 pax to Europe, 3,592 pax to the Netherlands Antilles, and 9,756 pax to Latin America.
During December 2021, AAA reported an average occupied outbound Passenger Load Factor (PLF) (number of seats of the total seats onboard an aircraft when departing from AUA Airport) for the US Market of 66%. The average PLF for all markets was 67% during that same period (compared to 2019 when they reached 85% PLF for all markets).
During that month, AUA Airport averaged 34 flights per day, down from 37 daily flights during the same period in 2019. In that same period in 2020, AUA Airport only handled 659 flights, while Aruba’s national border re-opened in July of 2020 for all commercial operations.
Full-year 2021
In 2020 AAA forecasted for 2021 a recovery of approximately 50% versus 2019. However, the past year was much better than excepted. It ended up with a total recovery of 69% for 2021 compared to 2019. Compared to 2020, AUA Airport’s revenue-generating passenger amount increased by 104%.
In 2021 AUA Airport handled 712,321 revenue-generating passengers departing to the US, 8,275 to Canada, 65,396 to Europe, 29,376 o the Netherlands Antilles, 60,919 to Latin America, and 293 to other markets. The markets that increased the most in 2021 compared to the previous year were the US Market with 117% and the European market with 103%. The Latin American market also showed robust growth with 97%, while the Dutch Antilles market grew by 44%.
Departing flights handled at AUA airport during 2021 totaled 9,512 flights, which entails an increase of 82% versus the year 2021.
