Montevideo (MVD) Passenger Traffic down 45% without PLUNA

Passenger traffic at Montevideo (MVD) was down 45% during the three months of June, July, and August 2012 compared to the same months in 2011.  This period coincides with the demise and eventual shutting down of PLUNA on July 6.

MVD had the following passenger traffic in those months of 2011: June 137,953; July 185,734; and August 189,446 for a total of 512,773 passengers.  By comparison, in 2012 the passenger numbers fell to 73,830 travelers in June, 102,780 in July, and 103,782 in August for a total of 280,392 travelers.  The drop of 232,381 travelers representing a 45.3% year-over-year decline. 

The year had started off very well for MVD with a 17.1% increase in travelers during the January to May months (477,393 passengers in 2011 to 559,156 in 2012) but the subsequent decline in passengers the following three months yielded an 8.9% drop in cumulative numbers through August.       

Aerolineas Argentinas was one beneficiary of PLUNA's shutdown as it operated 78 more flights between Buenos Aires and Montevideo during June-August than in the same months in 2011 carrying 4,004 more passengers in the process.

Source: El Pais Uruguay 03Nov12