Many ski flights ‘exceeding pre-pandemic levels’ this month

Flights to key winter destinations are expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels this month due to a boom in ski holidays, latest research reveals.

A number of routes from the UK to Europe’s most popular ski resorts are set to fully recover to pre-Covid levels this month, according to aviation data firm Cirium.

Overall scheduled departures from the UK are projected to hit 81% of February 2019 levels, with more than 60,600 flights to depart during the month – equating to over 10.7 million seats.

Austria, France and Italy are all recording rises in airline seat capacity.

But flights from the UK to Geneva, Switzerland’s main ski gateway, remain 6% down compared to February 2019.

Innsbruck is set to see 8% more UK flights this February compared to 2019, while Salzburg will also see 11% more UK flights than pre-pandemic. 

The Austrian city of Klagenfurt will see a 50% uplift in UK arrivals as tourists head for the slopes.

Chambery in France is due to see 13% more UK arrivals than February 2019. However, Grenoble and Lyon remain 1% and 12% below pre-pandemic UK flight levels respectively.

Scheduled flights from the UK to Bergamo in northern Italy are up 37% this month over the same period in 2019.  

Fellow Milan airport, Malpensa, is also projected to see a 6.7% increase in UK arrivals compared to February 2019. 

Flights to Turin and Verona are also set to overtake pre-pandemic levels, with 11% and 7% more UK arrivals respectively.