Air travel for Passengers with Reduced Mobility (PRMs) was feared to be the most impacted by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initial expectations were that this group of ‘high-risk’ travellers would be the slowest to regain the confidence, and desire, to return to air-travel. The previously published ‘Q1/Q2 PRM Penetration Report’ illustrated a contradictory trend to such expectations. Assisted air travelers were returning at a faster rate than overall passengers with a penetration rate reaching a +1.09% margin upon the reopening of borders. With a promising, and maintained rate, PRM stakeholders pondered whether the positive signs of return would be maintained in Q3. This report analyses the PRM traffic, the Penetration Rates and Penetration Rate of Change within 10 European airports of varying sizes for Q3.

PASSENGER TRAFFIC LEADING TO Q3

January and February 2020 reflected the anticipated PRM traffic growth rates prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Figure 1: Among the 10 airports compared in this study, the average overall passenger traffic growth rate in February 2020 was +5.59% (+1.86% from January). In comparison, the PRM penetration rate reached +7.43% (+1.84% greater than general passenger traffic and +2.32% of the PRM Penetration rate observed of January).