September saw record number of travellers
While there are fewer flights to and from Copenhagen Airport than five years ago, the pax number for the past month was the highest ever for the month of September. 2.8 million passengers passed through the terminals in September, and ahead awaits a busy autumn school break with close to a million passengers scheduled to flow through the airport.
The first month of autumn was extremely busy at Copenhagen Airport. 2.8 million passengers made this our busiest September ever. That was 11% higher than the year-earlier figure and slightly higher than in the same period of 2019. Both Danes and other Europeans still have a great appetite for travel, but fewer aircraft are used to carry the many passengers around the world. The number of flights taking off from and landing at Copenhagen Airport in September was 5% lower than in the same period of 2019.
“We are pleased to note a record number of passengers in September and that passengers are even transported on fewer flights than was the case just five years ago. September is generally a busy travel month, as many people go on holiday while business travel is also picking up after the summer break with Danish business travellers going abroad and foreign business travellers coming to do business in Denmark,” says Peter Krogsgaard, Chief Commercial Officer of Copenhagen Airports.
Just under 23 million passengers in nine months
In the first nine months of the year, 22,77 million passengers travelled through Copenhagen Airport – a 12 per cent increase year on year. This promises well for the full year and has meant an upgrade the outlook from 29 million to 29.8 million total passengers for the year.
“We started the year with the historically less busy winter months, but the desire for travel really gained momentum over the spring and summer period. Soon, the autumn school break is upon us, which for many is a time to travel and see the world. In fact, the growing desire for travel seems to continue and, in light of the past record summer, we have upgraded our profit guidance for the year,” explains Peter Krogsgaard.
London the number one destination
In September, London once again topped the list of most popular destinations. More than 155,000 passengers travelled between Copenhagen Airport and one of the three London airports of Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick in September. One in five travellers to London transfers to destinations around the world while the rest stay in the UK capital, which offers beautiful and historic sights, fish ’n’ chips, pubs, musicals and much more.
Amsterdam, Paris, Milan and Istanbul were also among the top ten most popular destinations in September.
Busy autumn break ahead
Before long, the autumn school break starts, and this year around one million passengers are expected to travel via Copenhagen Airport to sunny destinations, big cities and other exciting destinations.
“On the busiest days of the autumn break, we expect more than 100,000 passengers, which is in line with the busiest travel days we saw this summer. That is a lot of passengers to pass through the terminals in a single day, but we are prepared and ready to welcome them, whether they take off, land or transfer at the airport,” says Peter Krogsgaard.
With a total of 45,000 charter seats available, Greece, Spain and Cyprus are the most popular charter destinations for the autumn break. 80% of all charter passengers travel to the top destinations of Crete, Rhodes, Gran Canaria, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife and Larnaca. Passengers on charter flights account for about 5% of total traffic at Copenhagen Airport, while the remaining passengers travel on scheduled flights.
