In all, just 133,609 passengers flew Luxair during the first six months of the year, down from 228,621 in H1 2020 and 687,844 in H1 2019.

According to figures published on Friday, during H1 of 2021 business passengers and those travelling on connecting flights both declined 86%, while leisure passenger numbers fell 45%.

Of the routes travelled, Portugal dominated the podium with Porto and Lisbon occupying first and second place, followed by Nice in France.

Package holidays

The package holiday branch of the group also experienced a difficult first half of 2021. It saw a 45% decrease in passenger numbers compared to 2019, but a 100% increase compared to 2020. It noted that demand was low for flight-only getaways, with travellers favouring full packages (flights and accommodation) that include PCR tests at destinations. In all, it carried 148,525 passengers at the start of 2021, compared to 74,085 in 2020 and 271,745 in 2019. Its most-sought-after destinations were Palma de Mallorca, Faro and Malaga. 

A winning service

Luxair Cargo freight volume surpassed the 500,000 mark in the first six months of 2021, reaching 560,525, up 31% compared to 2020 (426,462) and even surpassing 2019 (433,476).