22.10.2009
More passengers to London

While many routes out of Copenhagen Airport have recorded a drop in passenger numbers compared with last year, some routes are different and have seen growth in passenger numbers. An example of such a route is Copenhagen-London, which has seen passenger numbers grow during the past six months.

The global economic downturn has hit the aviation industry hard, but in spite of the downturn, some routes are seeing growth. From Copenhagen Airport, this applies for instance to the services to London which recorded combined growth of 10% compared with September 2008.

Passenger numbers on the London services also grew in the preceding five months, albeit more moderately by 3-5%. The growth should be seen in light of a general fall in passenger numbers at Copenhagen Airport by 6.9% in September and a corresponding decline during the preceding summer months.

Three airlines operate to London Gatwick
The reason for the growth in passenger numbers is intensified competition on the flights to London, the biggest destination out of Copenhagen Airport with 1.5 million passengers last year. At the beginning of the year, three airlines – easyJet, Cimber Sterling and Norwegian – all began flying from Copenhagen to London Gatwick in competition with the other flight services to London.

“The growth on the London services confirms that increased competition leads to more passengers. This year, we have seen a similar trend on the domestic service to Aalborg, and we are pleased to see that there are exceptions to the general decline in air transport. It is not least good for passengers to have a wider range of flights and fares to choose from,” said Carsten Nørland, VP, Aviation, of Copenhagen Airports.

More than 132,000 passengers flew between Copenhagen and London in September. In addition to the flights to Gatwick, this figure also includes passengers to London Heathrow, London Stansted and London City Airport.