(Alliance News) - March marked significant growth in the Tuscan Airport System, with more than 570,000 passengers passing through the Florence and Pisa airports. Compared to March 2023, there was an 18 percent increase, boosted by the Easter holidays, as reported by Toscana Aeroporti.

Total flight movements grew by 13 percent compared to the same month last year while the load factor of scheduled flights rose by 2.1 percentage points to 86.1 percent.

A record was also achieved in the first quarter of the year as a whole, with 1.5 million transits, marking a 14 percent growth over the first quarter of 2023.

Florence's Amerigo Vespucci Airport reached a new record in March, marking the best March ever with over 238,000 passengers, representing a 27% growth over March 2023. These results are supported by strong growth in flight movements, up 18 percent year-on-year, and improved load factor, which increased 1.5 percentage points over 2023 to 83.3 percent.

In March, both domestic scheduled traffic with plus 135% and international traffic up 17% are up compared to the same month in 2023. The favorite destinations for Florence Airport passengers in March 2024 were Paris, London, Rome, Amsterdam and Zurich.

Overall traffic for Florence Airport in the first quarter of the year set a record in every single month, with a 30% growth compared to the same period in 2023, reaching a total of 625,000 passengers transited.

In the 2024 summer season, Florence Airport will offer connections to 39 destinations operated by 18 airlines. Among the new routes available, it will be possible to fly from Florence to Prague with Volotea airline, to London Stansted with British Airways, and to Dusseldorf with Eurowings.

For Pisa's Galileo Galilei Airport, 338,000 passengers transited in March, a 12 percent growth over the same month in 2023. This result stemmed from growth in total flight movements -- plus 8.2 percent -- and load factor up 2.8 percentage points over 2023, reaching 88.2 percent.

In March, the Pisa airport recorded solid growth in international scheduled passenger traffic of 22 percent while there was a decrease in domestic traffic of 9.0 percent. The most popular destinations for passengers in March were Tirana, London, Palermo, Paris, and Catania.

At the end of the first quarter of 2024, passenger traffic at the Pisa airport reached a total of 855,000 passengers, registering a growth of 4.3 percent compared to the same period last year. In summer 2024, Pisa Galileo Galilei Airport will be connected to a total of 77 destinations thanks to the presence of 18 airlines. New connections will include new routes to and from Zagreb, Oslo Torp and Kaunas, served by Ryanair airline, and to Barcelona with easyJet.

By Giuseppe Fabio Ciccomascolo, Alliance News senior reporter

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