Vinci Airports Q1 passenger traffic grows as Middle East conflict impact limited

Investing.com -- Vinci Airports handled more than 74 million passengers in the first quarter of 2026, a 1.5% increase year-on-year, as strong momentum in Latin America and Cabo Verde helped offset headwinds from the Middle East conflict and Sino-Japanese tensions.

Vinci ADRs are down 0.7% on Thursday.

Latin America was the standout region. Salvador Bahia airport in Brazil posted double-digit growth of 12%, driven by expanded services from GOL, Azul, and LATAM alongside robust demand on long-haul TAP routes.

Monterrey in Mexico maintained strong domestic momentum, while airports in the Dominican Republic benefited from Arajet's expansion at Santo Domingo. The sole weak spot was Santiago in Chile, where fleet allocation issues at SKY Airlines weighed on traffic.

Cabo Verde delivered the network's strongest regional performance, with traffic surging 17%, underpinned by new winter routes from easyJet and Transavia connecting the islands to France, the United Kingdom, and Portugal.

In Europe, Belgrade, Edinburgh, Budapest, and Portugal's Lisbon and Porto airports all sustained growth, with TAP's transatlantic expansion and low-cost carrier activity providing key support.

London Gatwick, however, faced pressure from medium-haul reorganization and Middle East-related cancellations, while French regional airports were hampered by higher domestic taxation.

In Asia, geopolitical friction between China and Japan dampened Japanese airport results, though South Korean traffic remained a bright spot across the region.

Vinci described the overall result as highlighting the "resilience and geographical diversity" of its international network.

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