Award-winners at Routes Europe 2023 in Lodz, Poland.
The Routes Europe 2024 Awards will celebrate excellence in airport and destination marketing, with 15 airports, five destinations and five airlines making the final this year.
Six awards are up for grabs, with three dedicated to airport excellence in route development marketing. Categorized by passenger volume—Under 5 Million, 5-20 Million and Over 20 Million—these awards recognize airports for their outstanding marketing support to airline partners.
The Destination Award recognizes destinations for their valuable support to airline partners, and the Airline Award celebrates the significance of partnerships in establishing successful and profitable routes. An Overall Winner will be chosen from the list of winners.
The Airport and Destination categories have been reviewed and scored by a panel of airline judges, while the Airline category has been reviewed and scored by a panel of editorial judges.
Today, we profile the finalists from the three airport categories, with the finalists for the Destination and Airline categories featuring tomorrow. The winners will be announced on April 23 at Routes Europe 2024, taking place in Aarhus, Denmark.
More News And Analysis From Routes Europe 2024
Under 5 Million
Albrecht Dürer Airport Nuremberg, Germany
Despite industry-wide challenges, Nuremberg Airport (NUE) has rebounded impressively, with passenger volumes reaching 95% of pre-pandemic levels, surpassing the German average. The airport's route network has expanded significantly, with 16 new destinations added since 2019, including a route to London Heathrow. NUE's strategic shift toward point-to-point routes has driven a 76% growth in the leisure segment between winter 2022 and winter 2023. Central to its success is the “blue ocean” strategy, focusing on unserved routes and customer-centric services.
George Best Belfast City Airport, Northern Ireland
Following the collapse of its major carrier Flybe in March 2020, Belfast City Airport (BHD) restructured post-pandemic to diversify its airline portfolio and expand the number of routes served. The build-back strategy included introducing incentive schemes and a focus to target warm-weather leisure destinations. By February 2024, BHD partnered with seven airlines and four tour operators, reducing dependency on any single carrier. Collaborations with airlines led to new routes, including previously unserved destinations like Frankfurt. In 2024, its largest airline partner represents only 36% of total passengers, compared with 70% in early 2020.
Kalamata International Airport, Greece
Kalamata International Airport (KLX) has direct links to 28 destinations, including 22 international routes—playing a pivotal role in regional connectivity. Diversifying its airline portfolio has reduced dependency on charters, ensuring a stable operational model. The airport has successfully attracted the likes of Air France, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, SAS and Swiss—and this influx of hub carriers enables onward connections to North America and Asia through their respective hubs. KLX's extended operational period from February to November caters to tourism interests, contributing more than €35 million ($37 million) to the region’s economy in 2023.
Tallinn Airport, Estonia
Tallinn Airport (TLL) experienced strong growth in the past year, with close to 3 million passengers in 2023, achieving 91% recovery compared to 2019, despite challenges such as the loss of eastbound traffic due to the war in Ukraine. Summer 2024 schedules anticipate three new airlines and seven new services, including flights to Dubai, with more than 20% capacity growth. Incentives, marketing initiatives and strong partnerships with Visit Estonia have supported route development and airline engagement. The airport's network development strategy focuses on increasing connectivity for the whole country, catering to various segments including leisure, business and outbound markets.
Vilnius Airport, Lithuania
In 2023, Vilnius Airport (VNO) experienced a robust recovery in leisure, VFR and business travel, marked by an 18% capacity increase compared to 2022. The addition of Austrian Airlines and Swiss bolstered its position as the only airport hosting four Lufthansa Group member airlines in the region. Notably, airBaltic launched routes to Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Dubai, previously exclusive to charter carriers. Lithuanian Airports introduced a novel risk-sharing partnership to ensure vital connectivity, exemplified by the successful launch of routes like Vilnius-London City Airport by LOT Polish Airlines. Construction of the largest departures terminal in the Baltics is also underway.
5-20 Million
Budapest Airport, Hungary
Budapest Airport (BUD) handled 14.7 million passengers in 2023, marking a return to 91% of pre-pandemic levels. Nonstop scheduled capacity expanded by more than 30% to key global markets, including China, the Middle East and North Africa. Collaborating with airline partners, the airport announced 26 new routes, connecting diverse destinations from regional hubs to emerging markets and leisure spots. Initiatives like increasing long-haul growth with China Eastern and innovative marketing campaigns contributed to this success. More recently, China Southern announced plans to enter the BUD market with a route from Guangzhou.
Larnaka International Airport, Cyprus
Larnaka Airport (LCA) welcomed more than 8 million passengers in 2023 and fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels, marking a 34% increase compared to 2022. Efforts to promote Cyprus as an all-year destination resulted in a 24% traffic boost from winter months, with load factors improving from 67% to 73%. Collaborations with 55 airlines across 36 markets were instrumental in this recovery. New airline incentive schemes introduced in 2022 aimed at supporting both new and existing routes have been well received and played a crucial role in bridging a 23% traffic gap left by the loss of Russian and Ukrainian traffic. More than €2 million has been invested in promoting Cyprus through joint marketing campaigns.
Prague Airport, Czech Republic
Václav Havel Airport Prague Airport (PRG) experienced a 29% increase in passenger numbers in 2023 compared to the previous year, reaching a total of 13.8 million and moving closer to pre-pandemic levels. The airport facilitated connections to 167 destinations, including 30 new or resumed services. New launches included routes to destinations such as Agadir, Bilbao and Dubrovnik, while Korean Air returned with long-haul flights from Seoul. Additionally, partnerships were formed with carriers like Icelandair, China Airlines and Cyprus Airways. For 2024, PRG expects around 15.7 million passengers with 11 new routes.
Riga Airport, Latvia
Riga Airport (RIX) experienced a robust recovery in direct connectivity last year, as well as decreasing the network’s seasonality. Seat capacity in markets unaffected by the war in Ukraine increased by 3% compared to 2019, driven by growth in leisure destinations and regions like Greece, Portugal, Spain, the Middle East and Central Asia. Passenger traffic in these markets also exceeded 2019 levels by 2%, with point-to-point traffic seeing a 12% increase. After securing new service from Aegean and British Airways in 2023, this year RIX sees flydubai introduce a new route from Dubai and Norwegian establish a two-aircraft base. Service to 42 countries will be offered in 2024, up from 34 in 2019.
Thessaloniki Airport, Greece
Thessaloniki Airport (SKG) enjoyed a record-breaking year in 2023, reaching 7 million passengers, an 18.7% increase compared to the prior year and surpassing pre-pandemic levels by 1.1 million passengers. Highlights included securing five new carriers and seven new routes, connecting the airport with the likes of Barcelona, Oslo, Salzburg and Tirana. The extension of airline operating seasons was a major focus, with initiatives encouraging airlines to operate beyond traditional peak seasons. SKG also provided extensive marketing support to airlines, including media promotion through popular local portals, outdoor advertising and in-house media.
Over 20 Million
Athens International Airport, Greece
In 2023, Athens International Airport (ATH) achieved a new record with 28.17 million passengers, marking a 10.2% increase from 2019, adding 2.6 million more passengers. The growth was driven by significant developments in network expansion, including 39 new destinations, 19 new airlines and 68 additional services on existing routes. The main drivers of growth were observed in all international regions and country markets, with Western Europe and North America exhibiting the biggest increases. The airport's data and market research efforts, including an annual passenger survey, provided valuable insights for more than 70 routes and 30 tourism markets, supporting the creation of more than 50 case studies for airlines.
Brussels Airport, Belgium
Brussels Airport (BRU) has seen significant growth in airline operations and passenger destinations. Over the span of 2022 to 2024, 14 new airlines, including notable names like Royal Jordanian and Singapore Airlines, have launched or are set to commence operations. Eighteen new passenger destinations, spanning both long- and short-haul routes, have been introduced during this period. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, traffic has rebounded to 85% of 2019 levels, with specific segments like leisure and VFR surpassing previous records. To incentivize growth, the airport offers a scheme that rebates passenger charges, amounting to €24 million in 2023.
iGA Istanbul Airport, Türkiye
iGA Istanbul Airport (IST) achieved its goal of hosting 100 airlines by the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic in 2023 as passenger numbers soared to 76.1 million—an 18% increase from 2022. IST welcomed 23 new airlines during the year, with key additions that included airBaltic, China Eastern Airlines, easyJet, Flynas, Thai Airways and Wizz Air. The airport, which hosted Routes World in 2023, now has connectivity to 325 destinations worldwide. Its route development strategy is backed by strategic partnerships with the likes of Turkish Airlines and the Turkish Tourism Board.
Rome Fiumicino Airport, Italy
In 2023, Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) saw a recovery in passenger numbers, reaching 40.5 million, with full recovery on the point-to-point segment by April and overall volume by October. New destinations included Mexico City, San Francisco and Rio de Janeiro, with new routes launched to Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, Washington and New York. Short to medium-haul developments included base expansions by Wizz Air and Ryanair. The overall picture saw 17 new destinations and seven new carriers. In 2024, North America is expected to see increased departures, helped by new ITA Airways routes to Chicago and Toronto.
Vienna Airport, Austria
Vienna Airport (VIE) achieved its second-best year in terms of passenger traffic in 2023 with 29.5 million passengers and a 93% recovery rate compared to 2019, facilitated by its 65 airline partners flying to 203 destinations worldwide. Notable developments included the arrival of one new airline and 21 new routes. The summer 2024 schedule features Emirates adding Airbus A380 service, new routes to Bremen, Tbilisi and Boston by Austrian Airlines, and expansions by other carriers like Eurowings, Ryanair and SunExpress. Collaborations with trade partners and tourism boards further contribute to route success and market expansion, including initiatives targeting new markets like Saudi Arabia and India.
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