15.07.2004
Busy Sunday ahead

Last weekend was busy, but Copenhagen Airport can expect to be even busier this coming weekend, especially on Sunday. A normal day means about 50,000 passengers at the airport, but we expect to see somewhere in the neighbourhood of 70,000 travellers on Sunday.

"During the summer holiday season, 70,000 travellers is not abnormal, but what will make Sunday extra busy will be all the cruise passengers arriving at the airport the same time. About 7000 cruise passengers will be departing from Copenhagen Airport at the same time as roughly the same number will be landing. This situation is a first for us, so it'll be a challenge," says Copenhagen Airports Vice President Flemming Petersen.

Copenhagen Airport has been preparing itself for this very busy day for a long time, and extra staff have been called in. As part of the planning process, CPH has also enlisted the aid of the Bella Center conference and exhibition facility, where the airport has rented rooms in which cruise passengers can wait for their flight.

"We've rented the A1 hall at the Bella Center and are turning it into a lounge, so that especially the many older cruise passengers can relax there for the afternoon. You see, a lot of these passengers are taken to the airport early in the morning, even though their flight may not be until later that day," explains Petersen.

More Danes, too

"The bad weather we've been having this summer means more Danes going abroad – which is good news for us, of course. Passengers are getting here early because they're nervous about missing their flight, but getting here three or four hours before departure is far too early. The handling companies don't open the check-in counters until two hours prior to departure, which gives them plenty of time to do everything they have to do. We know that this will be an extra busy day for us, but we've done everything we can to prepare ourselves for the situation, and we're doing everything we can to ensure our passengers get off to as good a start to their holiday as possible. So we are ready and well prepared for Sunday," says Petersen.