CPH traffic record: More holiday-makers going on long trips this summer
More and more people are going to far-off places for their summer vacation, especially to Asia and the United States. Passenger volumes on intercontinental routes were up by 14.9 per cent in the busy month of June. Total passenger numbers were up by 6.1 percent. An all time record. A total of 109.399 travellers made June 25. the busiest day of the year so far.
Despite this being the best summer in Denmark for years, the desire to travel remains undiminished. A total of 2,943,654 passengers passed through the CPH terminals in June, making this first month of the summer holiday season the busiest month in Copenhagen Airport history.
June’s passenger numbers were up by 6.1 per cent over June 2017.Year to date growth is up 3,1 percent.
Copenhagen Airport generally recorded passenger growth across the board in June: domestic flights +2.5%, transfers +8 per cent, short-haul flights to European destinations +5.3 per cent and long-haul routes out of Europe +14.9 per cent. Only pure charter flights to the sun lost a bit of volume, down by 2.2% to 165,855 passengers.
The 14.9 per cent increase in passenger numbers on long-haul intercontinental flights stands out in the June traffic data.
“More Danes are travelling to far-off places for their holidays, particularly to Asia and the United States. In June, passenger numbers on long-haul routes out of Europe was up by 14.9 per cent, an increase of 42,000 passengers. That’s about 140 extra flights of fully booked Boeing 787 Dreamliners in a single month,” said Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Copenhagen Airports A/S.
June’s largest intercontinental destinations were New York, followed by Dubai and Doha. For many travellers, the latter two are a stopover on their way to Asia. Another big destination is Toronto, Canada, which for many is a stopover on their way to a final US destination. Next on the list are destinations like Bangkok, Beijing, Chicago and San Francisco.
“The new long-haul routes by Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong and Air India to Delhi are already on our list of top-20 destinations, and they have contributed quite a nice share of our passenger growth,” said Mr Woldbye.
Fourteen days with more than 100,000 travellers
It has been only two years since Copenhagen Airport passed the once magic mark of more than 100,000 passengers in a single day; that was Friday, 13 May 2016.
“Today, a mere two years later, 100,000 passengers in a day has become the new normal for a busy travel day. In June, we had as many as 14 travel days of 100,000+ passengers,” explains Thomas Woldbye.
“Everyone operating at the airport have adapted admirably to this new higher volume: the airlines, the ground handlers, the airport and all the staff providing baggage handling services, check-in, cleaning security, boarding and aircraft handling. It’s a service job very well done indeed,” says Mr Woldbye.
A total of 109.399 travellers made June 25. the busiest day of the year so far.
