The months of April, May and June had «sharp drops in the flows, traffic and movements of passengers» in the Algarve, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the main conclusion of the Quarterly Conjuncture Bulletin, developed by the Algarve's Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR).
«The most recent indicators of the Portal for Mobility and Transport of the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR Algarve) are strongly marked by the implementation of measures arising from the State of Emergency Declaration (on March 18) in the country, and also influenced the situation in the Andalusia region,” says the CCDR.
In the second quarter of 2020, the drops in passenger flows and movements are very accentuated in general in all means and modes of transport.
According to the CCDR, “are particularly notorious in air mode: the International Airport of Faro it practically suspended the activity, but extended to all other means and modes, and the movement of passengers was even nil in the Vila Real de Santo António/Ayamonte river route. The flows that, even so, registered the fewest drops, but in any case above 40 and 50%, were the average daily traffic on secondary road axes».
The International Airport of Faro registered only 614 flights and 36.381 passengers (commercial movement). This is a "very marked decrease", compared to the same quarter of 2019 - 98,8% in relation to the number of flights and 96,9% in relation to passenger movement -, and are also the most pronounced of the five national airports ( Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Funchal and Ponta Delgada).
the airport of Faro handled a total of 661 passengers with the other airports in the national space, a figure that corresponds to 1,8% of the total passenger movement in the quarter. Compared to the same quarter of the previous year, the almost absolute decrease (99,5%) is also noteworthy.
"The decreases had already been quite accentuated in the first quarter of 2020, but the almost total suppression of activity in the second quarter put the values at very low levels", says the CCDR.
Also in the rail mode, movement suffered very sharp drops: in the regional service (Lagos – VRSA) there was a movement of 131.041 passengers, a reduction of 74,4% compared to the same quarter of 2019.
The regional service “records a (strongly) negative year-on-year change after five consecutive positive quarters”.
The long-haul service (connections of the Alfa and Intercidades services) handled only 43.767 passengers, 82% lower than the figure for the same quarter of the previous year.
In the river/sea mode, the breaks are also very accentuated: the movement on the Ria Formosa liners registered only 138.772 passengers, a decrease of 65,6% compared to the previous quarter and the movement on the Guadiana liner (VRSA/Ayamonte) was even nil, due to the total suppression of the service (in part of March and in all of the following three months).
With regard to Average Daily Traffic (TMD) on the main road axes, the sharp decreases are also noteworthy: a decrease of 53,2% in the section of the A2 Almodôvar / São Bartolomeu de Messines (5.582 vehicles/day), a decrease of 64,4 % on the A22 (5.366 vehicles/day) and a decrease of 91,6% on the Guadiana International Bridge (858 vehicles/day).
«In all these three records, the signs already given in the first quarter, mainly due to the sharp fall in the second half of March, were verified absolutely in the months of the second quarter and, as well as in the river/sea mode, with even greater expression on the border with Spain,” says the CCDR.
«The figures for TMD on secondary road axes also reveal in a very expressive way the drastic reductions in circulation and traffic. In all 27 counting stations, the quarterly changes are very negative, the overwhelming majority in the order of 40 and 50%, reaching a maximum of 72,7% in the access section to the Airport», he concludes,
All values of the Algarve Conjuntura Barometer – Mobility and Transport can be found on the CCDR-Algarve Mobility and Transport portal, developed in partnership with the Cartography Center of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Lisbon, and available here
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