Traffic fluctuations at airports lead to additional costs for Skyguide
Published: Tuesday, Feb 27th 2024, 10:50
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The strong fluctuations in traffic volumes at the national airports of Zurich and Geneva led to increased costs for the Swiss air navigation service provider Skyguide in 2023. The company remained under financial pressure in the 2023 financial year.
Operating expenses rose by 10.2 percent to CHF 519 million in 2023 compared to the previous year, as skyguide announced on Tuesday. Although the air navigation service provider's total revenue rose by 9.5 percent, its net profit of CHF 7.8 million was more than three million lower than in the previous year.
Skyguide therefore closed the year below expectations, as the air navigation service provider also reported. The volume of commercial aviation traffic at Swiss airports is still 7.6% lower than in 2019, i.e. before the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the two national airports of Zurich and Geneva recorded higher traffic volumes than in the previous year, up 15.1% and 6.6% respectively. According to skyguide, this was mainly due to heavy vacation traffic. The associated increased traffic volatility had an impact on personnel deployment planning and thus ultimately on costs, skyguide added.
The company will also be under considerable financial pressure in the future. According to skyguide, the outcome of the negotiations with the European Union on the key parameters for air navigation services for the next reference period (2025-2029) will be decisive for the company's financial sustainability.
Punctuality on the rise
Last year, 97.7 percent of all civil flights controlled by air traffic control were punctual, according to skyguide, citing the European network manager Eurocontrol. In the previous year, the figure was 97.3 percent. Delays caused by air traffic control amounted to an average of 8.5 seconds per flight, compared to 18.3 seconds in the previous year.
The delays were mainly caused by difficult weather conditions. Other factors included capacity bottlenecks at airports, the introduction of new systems in neighboring countries and work stoppages in France. There were a total of three technical incidents in 2023, according to Skyguide.
Skyguide has 1500 employees at 14 locations. The company is majority-owned by the Swiss Confederation and has its headquarters in Geneva.
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