Euro Airport
Euro Airport Basel-Mulhouse and Freiburg Airport is entirely located in French territory but is operated jointly by France and Switzerland. It is at a tripoint border – where three countries meet – which has given its name Euro Airport.
The aviation industry struggled immensely during COVID-19 with 90% lower passenger levels. Many passengers’ confidence levels remained low. However, air traffic is now returning to 2019 levels again, with roughly 8 million people passing through this airport in the year 2023.
It has been studied that travel habits have now changed here at Euro Airport, with an increase in reasons to travel being family. It is now one of the biggest reasons for flying in 2024 alongside leisure.
Business travel is becoming less common. Software like Teams and Zoom make it easy for international meetings which are more effective and efficient.
Being at this airport at Christmas amongst the hustle and bustle. It was visible that the reason for flights is around families. Last-minute gift shopping in duty-free for different relatives and large families rushing to their gates with little toddlers following behind. I realised that the majority of these people shared something in common. They were going home.
The arrivals gate is filled with love. Handmade signs, people embracing each other, laughter, and tears.
“Home isn’t always the place but the people you’re with”
This is what one woman said to me when asked what home means to her at the arrivals gate at Euro Airport.
People are willing to spend money and time to see the people that mean most to them. And I wanted to see if this was the case as I went around the airport hearing people’s reasons for travel
Another woman I spoke to at the gate of a flight to London Heathrow said that “Christmas isn’t about the gifts but quality time” when going to visit her parents in London for the holiday season.
Another family I spoke to said they hadn’t been ‘home’ to London – where their family is – in years. Saving up throughout the year for a family of 5 isn’t easy but they said it was “worth it to see the people that matter most”.
From what I gathered I could tell that all these people were there for the same reason and that was to go home. That didn’t mean a flat in a city or a house in the mountains but the people they were seeing.
Therefore, home isn’t just a noun but a broader word to describe the people that matter most to someone. The festive season is a time when people want to go home for their loved ones.