In 2023, Findel airport saw a total of 4.79m passengers, representing an increase of 8.9% compared with the reference year 2019, before the pandemic. In the top three most popular destinations for Luxembourg travellers, there will be little change in 2023 compared with 2019. However, some sunny destinations have become very popular in recent years, and are now well up the rankings. These include Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Nice (Côte d’Azur, France) and Barcelona (Spain). Last year, the StressFreeCarRental information portal ranked Findel as the second least stressful airport in Europe.
1. Porto, Portugal
As in 2019, Porto remains at the top of the list of Findel travellers’ favourite destinations, according to the business snapshot published by Statec in August. The destination attracted even more travellers than in 2019: 490,700 chose this destination in 2023 (339,505 in 2019). The cultural connections between Luxembourg and Portugal no doubt explain the popularity of this destination. In addition, several airlines fly from Findel to the coastal city in northern Portugal, including Luxair, Ryanair and Easyjet, with several connections each day.
2. Lisbon, Portugal
Another Portuguese city tops the ranking. Like its neighbour Porto, the Portuguese capital of Lisbon retains its second place in the rankings, as it did in 2019, despite a slight drop in the number of travellers between 2019 and 2023 (from 311,876 to 308,277 travellers). As is the case for Porto, several airlines offer flights to the Portuguese capital (Easyjet, Luxair, Ryanair and Tap Portugal). On Monday 26 August, for example, there were departures almost every hour.
3. Frankfurt am Main, Germany
The German city has moved up one place in the rankings to third place. However, the number of passengers has also fallen slightly, but overall numbers have remained stable. There were 202,300 passengers in 2019, compared with 189,907 in 2023. This airport is considered to be a “hub” for travel to other destinations. It is one of the most important air hubs in Europe, a transit point for long-haul flights to America, Asia and other international destinations not directly served by Findel. As a major financial centre in Europe, the city also welcomes business travellers. Direct flights between Luxembourg airport and Frankfurt am Main airport have been operated for several decades, but have become more regular and frequent since the 1990s. Luxair and Lufthansa are the main airlines operating this route, with several flights a day.
4. Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Palma de Mallorca is the destination with the biggest increase, moving up nine places in the rankings drawn up by Statec on the basis of the number of travellers. The Spanish island attracted 56,000 more travellers in 2023, an increase of +49% for this popular holiday destination, which offers many all-inclusive travel packages and a reasonable flight time of around 2h05. Both Luxair and Ryanair operate flights, with several connections every day during the summer period.
5. London-City, England
Three of London’s airports are accessible from Luxembourg. But it is London-City that attracts Luxembourg travellers the most. It has moved up two places, despite a slight fall in the number of passengers (177,012 in 2019 compared with 167,588 in 2023). The city is a global financial centre, attracting in particular professionals from the financial sector travelling for business reasons. Its proximity to central London (around 10km) is an advantage for travellers. Smaller than the other airports in the English capital, it is nevertheless well connected to central London via the Docklands Light Railway, which provides rapid access to the financial centre. London’s other two airports dropped down the rankings. London Heathrow, the UK’s largest airport, fell from 6th place to 13, despite being a global hub and offering a wide range of services and facilities. Stansted airport, some 68km north of the UK capital, has risen from 16th to 14th place.
In addition, since April 2024, Luxair has been offering , three times a week.
6. Milan-Malpensa, Italy
The Italian city of Milan is served by three airports. Malpensa airport, located to the north-east of the city, is the 6th most popular destination for Findel travellers and has risen two places in the rankings compared with 2019, with 151,608 travellers in 2023 (163,758 in 2019). However, it is not the closest airport to the city. Linate--added to Luxair’s list of destinations in 2023--is 7km away and offers much faster and more direct access to Italy’s industrial capital. Nevertheless, Malpensa’s status as an international airport offers a wide range of flights to international and long-haul destinations, and it offers a greater variety of airlines than the other two airports, Linate and Bergamo. The latter, around 45km from Milan, is more focused on low-cost airlines, and unlike Malpensa, Bergamo does not offer daily flights to and from Luxembourg.
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As for the Italian capital, the airport of Rome Fiumicino has moved up considerably in the rankings, from 22nd place to 15th.
7. Amsterdam-Schiphol, Netherlands
The destination has dropped two places in the rankings, losing around 20,000 passengers, a fall of 13% (184,711 passengers in 2019, compared with 160,085 in 2023). Several routes are operated each day, mainly by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. It is one of the largest air hubs in Europe and the world, with numerous international destinations. The Dutch airport is particularly attractive for travellers looking to reach a connecting hub quickly (only 1h05 flight time).
8. Munich, Germany
Munich has dropped considerably in the rankings, from 3rd place, with 216,312 passengers in 2019, to 8th place, with 152,732 passengers in 2023. Two airlines operate flights from Findel: Luxair and Lufthansa, with one or even two connections each day. According to Munich Airport’s business report, the airport experienced a slowdown in 2023, due to severe weather conditions, but also to operational challenges. The business report mentions, for example, that the airport “continues to face a tense economic environment” and a “reduction in demand for business travel since the pandemic.”
9. Nice-Côte d’Azur, France
The destination in southern France enters the top 10 in 2023, up from 17th place in 2019. Passenger volumes have risen by 62% via Nice airport, an increase of more than 57,000 passengers compared with 2019. The number of routes has been increased to make travel to this destination more accessible and flexible. At least one flight a day is offered by Luxair.
10. Barcelona-El Prat, Spain
The Catalan city has risen from 14th to 10th place in the ranking of the most popular destinations for Luxembourg passengers, with an increase of 31%, or 35,000 passengers. One or two flights are offered each day, operated by Luxair or Ryanair.
Also in Spain, Madrid’s Adolfo Suarez airport remains in 11th place, with 124,804 passengers in 2023.
This article was originally published in .