12.12.2006
Passengers to Germany have increased by a quarter of a million

The number of passengers on the routes between Copenhagen and Germany has gone up by 16% in 2006 and has exceeded passenger numbers on the routes to Sweden and the UK for the first time. This means that Germany is set to take over the position as Copenhagen Airport’s second-largest market – only surpassed by Norway. Keener competition is a major factor behind the change.

The routes to Germany will be the year’s top performers in terms of growth in passenger numbers at Copenhagen Airport.

From January to November, the number of passengers on flights to and from Germany grew by 253,000 or 16% compared with the same period last year. Altogether, almost 1.8 million passengers travelled between Copenhagen Airport and the various German destinations during the first 11 months of the year.

Improved economy and more low-fare tickets have generated the growth

A significant part of the growth was driven by low-cost carrier Air Berlin, which started flights out of Copenhagen in the spring of 2006 and flies to Berlin and Dusseldorf; but also airlines such as SAS, Lufthansa and Sterling have enjoyed growth on their services to Germany.

“There are several reasons for the boost in passenger numbers on flights to Germany, which carry a mix of business and leisure travellers. The improvement of the German economy is obviously a major factor behind the growth, but the large number of flights also plays an important role,” said Corinna Lundbæk Pedersen, Department Manager at Copenhagen Airports A/S.

Germany surpasses Sweden and the UK

Germany was the fourth-largest market out of Copenhagen Airport in terms of passenger numbers in 2005, with Norway being number one, followed by Sweden and the UK. This year, Germany is clearly ahead of Sweden, and at the end of November it was also ahead of the UK. Thus, Germany is set to become Copenhagen Airport’s second-largest market for the first time.

Berlin and Dusseldorf are the prime movers

The largest German destination out of Copenhagen is Frankfurt, which saw passenger growth at the rate of 11%, whilst the number of passengers to Munich, the second-largest destination, was unchanged. Berlin is becoming an increasingly popular destination, and passenger numbers to the three Berlin airports grew by 34%, whilst passenger numbers to Dusseldorf, the fourth-largest destination, grew by as much as 40%. Passenger numbers also increased on the routes to Hamburg, Stuttgart, Hannover, Nuremberg and Cologne.