In 2023, port and air traffic evolved contradictorily in Spain: a decline for the first and a sharp increase for the second. These changes are primarily a reflection of the evolution of the global economy, which has impacted the two modes in different ways.
The evolution of port and air traffic in 2023 testifies to the ability of these two modes of transport to adapt to international turbulence and their consequences on the supply chain. In 2023 Spanish ports were able, after a difficult first half, to deal with the increase in transshipment flows from the fourth quarter. Similarly, Spanish airports have positioned themselves successfully in the face of the increase in air cargo flows worldwide, particularly those related to e-commerce with China. The statistics available for the year 2024 only confirm this diagnosis.
1/ Port traffic
According to figures published by Puertos del Estado, the public regulatory body for so-called "general interest" Spanish commercial ports, traffic reached 528 Mt in 2023, a decrease of 3.3% compared to 2022. This volume remains below 2019's peak (552 Mt), with a difference of 4.3%. But this gap could be made up in 2024, since the figures for the first 6 months show an increase in traffic of 3.3% to 276 Mt.
(*) The total traffic figure does not include bunkering, fishing and domestic traffic. Content source: Puertos del Estado.
The decline observed in 2023 concerns virtually all types of traffic. After a surge in 2022, liquid and dry bulk recorded respective declines of 3.8% and 4.3% in 2023. Crude oil, fuel oil and natural gas traffic decreased by 3.6% (61.7 Mt), 5.9% (23.1 Mt) and by 11.9% (19.7 Mt) respectively. Among dry products, cereals were the main source of traffic (21.7 Mt), up 32.8%, a logical consequence of the drought that boosted imports.
General merchandise traffic decreased by 3% in 2023 to 263 Mt, a loss of 8 Mt. The phenomenon affected containers (-4.8% to 179 Mt), while the conventional transport increased by 1.2%, mainly due to the restart of automobile flows (+19.6%, 3.9 million vehicles) and to a lesser extent ro-ro traffic (+1.3%, 71.9 Mt). Conventional traffic is the only segment that has been growing steadily for 10 years, except for the year 2020 marked by the Covid-19 pandemic. The overall increase amounts to 6.3% between 2019 and 2023 and 47.3% between 2012 and 2023.
2/ Air Freight
Spanish air traffic has entered a particularly dynamic growth phase. According to figures published by Aena, the owner and public operator of Spain's 48 airports, freight traffic reached 1.08 Mt in 2023, up 7.9% from 2022. This figure is a new record high: it is 0.9% higher than the previous peak, that of 2019, before the pandemic (1.07 Mt).
(*) 48 airports. Source: Aena.
The end of 2023 was characterised by a notable acceleration in air freight. Figures available for 2024 indicate a continuation of this trend. In May, traffic reached an all-time high (108 380 t, up 23.7% compared to May 2023). During the first six months of 2024, the increase was 19.2%, with a total of 604,781 t (...)
CONTENTS
1/ Port Traffic
- The overall evolution
- The financial situation of ports
- Container transport: differing performances
- Overall unchanged port rankings
- Temporary decline in short sea shipping
- The international position of Spanish ports
2/ Air Freight
- A growth dynamic
- Madrid, undisputed leader
- Takeover in Barcelona
- Zaragoza and Vitoria
- Aena's Strategic Plan
- A multiplicity of projects
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