MADRID, 22 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -
The volume of business derived from the provision of airport services to third parties ('handling') in Spain will grow by around 35% in 2022 compared to last year, up to 900 million euros, according to estimates by the DBK Sector Observatory of Informa , which indicates that this growth will not be enough to reach pre-pandemic levels.
In its latest report, the Observatory highlights that the turnover of this sector began a "marked recovery" in 2021, supported by the reactivation of the tourism sector and international merchandise trade.
Air traffic in 2021 registered a growth of 37.5%, reaching 1.53 million, while the number of passengers and the volume of cargo transported registered increases of 57.7% and 26.7%, respectively.
Within this framework, the activity of the sector providing airport services for third parties generated revenue of 650 million euros in 2021, which meant reaching a variation rate of 36.8%. In this way, around a third of the business lost in 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 health crisis was recovered.
The ramp handling segment concentrated 67% of the total value of the market. In 2021, it stood at 435 million euros, 38% more than in the previous year. For its part, the provision of other services contributed revenue of 215 million euros, having increased by 34%.
According to the analysis, the business will continue to grow along with air transport, but the deterioration of the national and international economic situation, the uncertainty derived from the war in Ukraine and the increase in costs and prices will limit the increase in the sector's business volume. .
For this reason, by the end of 2022, an increase in the billing to third parties of companies in the sector of close to 35% is estimated, which, however, will not be enough to still reach the pre-pandemic level.
The Observatory also points out that the sector presents a high degree of concentration of supply, with the first five companies bringing together two thirds of the market value of 2021, approaching 85% in the case of the first ten operators.
The structure of the sector will be altered by the award of the new ramp handling licences, which Aena currently has in place to provide the service at its 43 airports over the next seven years, a process that is expected to end in the first few years. months of 2023.
