Copenhagen Airport welcomed close to 2 million travellers in January
1.9 million passengers passed through Copenhagen Airport during the opening month of 2025. The appetite for travel is still strong, and a growing number of Danes are contemplating a city break.
It was a flying start to the year for Copenhagen Airport as 1.95 million passengers passed through the terminals in January, an increase of 240,000 on the same period last year.
“Generally, January and the rest of the winter months are a not as busy as the summer months at the airport. But the first month of the year was very busy, with a 14% year-on-year increase in passenger numbers. We are seeing growing interest in flying to and from Copenhagen,” says Peter Krogsgaard, Chief Commercial Officer of Copenhagen Airports A/S.
Despite the rising passenger numbers, 14% fewer passenger aircraft arrive at and depart from Copenhagen Airport compared with six years ago, when the number of passengers was the same as today. The explanations are new, larger aircraft and a higher number of seats sold per flight.
London is the big favourite
The United Kingdom is the most popular country to fly to from Copenhagen Airport. Nearly one in ten passengers from Copenhagen travels to the UK, and London is by far the favourite UK destination, followed by Manchester, Edinburgh and Bristol.
In January, 125,000 passengers travelled between Copenhagen and one of the three London airports, making London the single most popular destination overall, followed by Oslo, Stockholm, Amsterdam and Paris.
City breaks are trending
City breaks are gaining ground and have become one of the most popular holiday types. Half of all Danes are considering a city break within the next year. That is an increase compared with 2019, when only one in three Danes, or 34 per cent, considered a city break, according to a survey by Kantar Gallup in which some 5,000 Danes were asked about their travel and holiday dreams.
“A week or an extended weekend in one of Europe’s big cities is really trending. Spring is around the corner with its many public holidays and other days off, which are ideal for a city break. This does not go unnoticed at Copenhagen Airport with our direct routes to many big cities throughout Europe – and this year, the airlines are opening several new routes to exciting cities in Europe waiting to be explored. We are also seeing many foreign tourists travelling to Copenhagen, which is a very popular destination for a city break”, says Peter Krogsgaard.
SAS is opening new routes to Budapest, Bucharest, Lyon, Madrid and Seville, among other destinations, while Norwegian is adding cities such as Bratislava, Sarajevo and Newcastle to the route map from Copenhagen.
The survey also showed that the proportion of Danes considering an extended weekend in Denmark has fallen from 51 per cent in 2019 to 40 per cent today.
Two busy winter break weeks
Friday, 7 February marks the beginning the winter break, when many Danes and Southern Swedes take off from Copenhagen Airport. In weeks 7 and 8, the two major winter break weeks, 1.3 million passengers will travel through the airport, Fridays and Sundays being the busiest days.
“We look forward seeing the many expectant travellers in our terminals. The snowy Alps and the beaches of Asia are clear favourites with many travellers. In Asia, Thailand is the most popular country with its sun, white beaches and exciting adventures, while Switzerland, Italy and Austria are the top ski holiday destinations in the Alps that attract most travellers,” says Krogsgaard.
A growing number of people also choose to fly when heading north to Swedish and Norwegian ski destinations. Copenhagen Airport offers direct routes to the Scandinavian Mountains Airport located near Trysil and Sälen, the Östersund airport close to the slopes of Åre, and Oslo, from which the snow in Geilo and Norefjell is easily reached.
“We look forward to welcoming the many excited holiday-bound passengers. We do everything we can to give everyone a good send-off, from check-in and security to our many shops and restaurants in the terminals, which stand ready to receive the many customers,” says Krogsgaard.
