2010: a turbulent year with a tailwind Hamburg Airport achieves good result
2010 was a turbulent financial year, and Hamburg Airport ended it with commercial success: the final result was a profit of 41.8 million euros; the previous year’s result was 35 million euros. 12.96 million passengers used Hamburg Airport in 2010, in comparison to 12.23 million passengers in 2009. Turnover for the year, at 248.6 million euros, was 10.9 percent higher than in 2009 (224.1 million euros).
“With a strong tailwind, Hamburg Airport successfully mastered the 2010 financial year. Despite the volcanic ash from Iceland and an early winter, we still managed to achieve a pleasing result in 2010,” said Michael Eggenschwiler, Chief Executive Officer of Hamburg Airport, at the Financial Results Press Conference. “Hamburg Airport offers its passengers a route network with great variety and high frequencies, as well as extensive service and comfort. For our staff, we are a dependable employer; for our customers, we are a reliable partner. We are taking the momentum from 2010 with us into the next financial year and view the future with optimism. The first quarter of 2010 brought with it 3.6 percent growth in passenger numbers.”
Passenger figures: 6 percent more passengers
Right on time to celebrate its 100th birthday, Hamburg Airport – Germany’s fifth-busiest airport – set a new record for passenger volume, with 12.96 million passengers passing through Hamburg Airport in 2010. This is around 730,000 passengers – or 6 percent – more than in 2009. The growth in passenger numbers was primarily the result of the deployment of larger aircraft (average seats per flight rose from 125 to 130) and a better average load factor (increased from 72.2 percent to 72.7 percent). The number of aircraft movements, in contrast, declined by 0.2 percent to 157,180 in comparison to the previous year. Air freight continued to grow, too, with air cargo transshipped at Hamburg Airport, excluding airmail and transit, growing by 11.2 per cent to 71,580 tonnes. Although flown air cargo sank by 13.2 percent, this was compensated for by a growth in truck transshipment of 34.3 percent.
A diverse route network
In 2010, 60 airlines operated direct flights to 115 destinations from Hamburg. And new routes are being added in 2011. Iceland’s national carrier, Icelandair, will connect Hamburg to the island nation in summer 2011. Air Berlin, too, is launching a direct service to Iceland. Spanair is a new arrival at Hamburg Airport. The Spanish carrier launched the Hamburg–Barcelona route on 4 April. Hamburg Airport is also welcoming Croatia Airlines to the fold, with a service from Hamburg to Split starting on 16 April. Lufthansa will increase the capacity on its Hamburg routes by almost 20 percent this summer. This will be achieved for the most part by using larger aircraft and fitting them for the airline’s new Europa cabin product. Responding to the success of the Dubai route, Emirates is introducing a second daily non-stop flight to the timetable. From 1 September, 2011, there will be an additional Boeing 777-200 departure from Hamburg to Dubai at 9:25pm.
Outlook for 2011
In 2011, Hamburg Airport is celebrating its 100th birthday. This makes it Germany’s longest-serving airport and one of the oldest in the world. Michael Eggenschwiler, Chief Executive Officer at Hamburg Airport, is expecting further positive developments for the airport in 2011: “The year 2011 will see a continuation of the upward trend in passenger figures, although it will be more modest. Hamburg Airport is expecting growth of around 4 percent. Thanks to our widely varied route network and the new, state-of-the-art infrastructure, Hamburg Airport is well-equipped to meet the demanding requirements that the future will place on an international airport. We will work together even more closely with the airlines and other players in the aviation industry to enhance the comfort and service provided to passengers even further.”