Passenger numbers in Slovak airports are going through the roof. At the Bratislava airport, they were up 38 percent in the first quarter 2016 alone, compared to just a 15.4 percent increase for the whole 2015. Košice’s airport reported an increase of 31 percent for Q1 2016 after a mere 15 percent in 2015. Last years growth depended on passengers of regular lines, however, whereas the steep increase of the first three months of 2016 was due to new routes. Low cost airlines were the most active, forwarding Slovak workers to the UK and Ireland, while Ryanair and SmartWings offered connections to seaside destinations. Air Baltic brought skiers from Riga to Poprad and the Russian low cost airline Pobeda brings Russian tourists to and from the Slovak spas. Austrians made up for 25 percent of passengers on flights to Bratislava for Ryanair.
