MUNICH (dpa-AFX) - International air travel is growing despite challenging times: Munich Airport reported 19.8 million passengers in the first half of the year. That's 700,000 more than the previous year, marking a 3.6 percent increase. Intercontinental flights saw above-average growth, rising by nine percent. The airport counted 1.5 million passengers on US routes, while flights to and from East Asia accounted for one million travelers. All passengers are included in the regular statistics: arrivals, departures, and transfers.
Tourism experts had already predicted a renewed interest in long-haul travel over the winter, following the pandemic-driven boom in local vacations. The latest figures from Munich Airport now confirm these expectations. The number of takeoffs and landings at Germany's second-largest airport increased by more than 5,000, totaling 161,400 operations./cho/DP/jha
