Plane ticket prices have soared since 2019, RTL reported on Wednesday, citing figures from the national statistics agency CBS.

At the same time, the number of flights and air passengers last year was almost back to pre-coronavirus levels, and expectations for the coming years are “positive,” RTL said.

In 2019, 566,031 flights began or ended at one of the five Dutch commercial airports, while last year the total was just 6% lower, at 533,000. Passenger numbers were also down by only 6% compared to pre-coronavirus levels, despite the surge in ticket prices.

While inflation has risen by 22% over the period, plane tickets are now 73% more expensive.

“The demand for tickets is so great that people are less sensitive to price increases,” aviation economist Rogier Lieshout told RTL. “People increased their savings during the coronavirus years of 2020 and 2021, and wages have risen as well.”

According to the mobility strategy institute KIM, 81% of flights were primarily for holidays or visiting friends and family. “Holidays are one of the last things the Dutch economise on,” Lieshout said.

Price hikes are also not an issue for business travel, as employers typically cover the costs, he noted.

The pending tariff increases at Schiphol Airport and a new tax on flying are expected to push ticket prices even higher. Changes to the European carbon pricing system will also have an impact in the coming years, Lieshout said.