2017 traffic figures: more and more northern Germans travelling by plane

2017 was a challenging year for Hamburg Airport with strong passenger growth. Passenger figures rose by around 8.6 percent to 17.62 million passengers. More people than ever before used Hamburg Airport for their holiday or business travel. There continues to be great variety in the route network, and the airport has increased service and comfort levels for passengers as well as enhancing the Hamburg touch, with innovations such as the Hamburg Welcome Center, redesigned waiting areas and the flexible Self Bag Drop baggage kiosks. With its optimised infrastructure, Hamburg Airport is preparing for the future demands of air traffic and the growing demand for mobility.

“17 in 17”: Passenger growth of 8.6 percent

17.62 million passengers used Hamburg Airport in 2017. This is around 1.4 million passengers, or 8.6 percent, more than in 2016. This was the first time that there were more than 17 million passengers in one year in the history of the airport. Aircraft movements, totalling around 159,780 in 2017, were lower than in the year 2000, when just under 10 million passengers used Hamburg Airport. Compared to 2016, the number of aircraft movements declined by around 0.5 percent.

“The passenger growth of 8.6 percent in the year 2017 was higher than average,” says Michael Eggenschwiler, CEO of Hamburg Airport. “At the start of the year we anticipated a significantly lower growth in passenger numbers. The actual development shows just how high the demand for mobility is amongst northern Germans. And it is our task as an airport to ensure the region’s mobility into the future, for both private and business travellers. It is a positive development for our neighbours that the number of aircraft movements has remained constant, thanks to efficient air traffic operations.”

A glance at the passenger load factor shows just how efficient air travel is becoming. The average number of passengers per flight in 2017 was 121.4, compared to an average of 112.5 in 2016. The average number of seats per flight has increased from 147 to 156. The load factor on flights to and from Hamburg Airport rose by 1.2 percentage points to 77.8 percent in comparison to 2016.

2017 highlight: Hamburg Airport and the G20 summit

Hamburg at the centre of global politics: On 7 and 8 July, 2017, the G20 summit of the major industrial nations and newly industrialising nations took place in Hamburg. Numerous heads of state and government along with more than 6,000 high-ranking delegates and over 3,000 media representatives took part in the summit. Many of them arrived via Hamburg Airport. This made the summit a challenge for Hamburg Airport, too — a challenge that was comfortably met, thanks to the dedication of all involved. An “airport within the airport” was created to organise the procedure. Special flights to and from Hamburg Airport took place for around 100 aircraft in parallel with normal scheduled operations.

2018 summer timetable: European metropoles and holiday destinations

Attractive new services from Hamburg have already been announced for the 2018 summer timetable. Eurowings is adding three new routes for the 2018 summer season. The airline will be joining Condor with two flights per week to the Greek summer sun destination of Corfu and is also opening up a brand new destination with a weekly service to Jersey in the Channel Islands. Starting with the summer timetable, Eurowings is also offering four daily flights to Munich, in parallel with Lufthansa’s service. A new SAS Scandinavian Airlines route is sure to be a winner with cruise enthusiasts and lovers of Norway. The airline will fly to Bergen in Norway three times per week in the peak season, June to August 2018. The Norwegian airline Widerøe is also introducing a service to Bergen, with three weekly flights all year round beginning in mid-August 2018.For the summer timetable, Germania is launching a weekly service to the Greek island of Samos. Ryanair will also add two interesting city break destinations to its portfolio of Hamburg services. Two flights per week to Oslo Torp and up to four flights per week to Edinburgh are sure to delight culture and nature enthusiasts. Adria Airways is new to Hamburg Airport, operating four flights per week to the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana. SunExpress is extending its list of destinations from Hamburg with a new weekly service to Kayseri, Turkey as of May. Condor is also flying from Hamburg to the Greek island of Zakynthos once a week in the summer season, and TUIfly is bringing cruise passengers to Trieste, Italy, every second Sunday.

Outlook for 2018: stability and the continuation of positive trends

For 2018, Hamburg Airport expects existing developments to be consolidated: passenger numbers will remain stable at the same high level, and aircraft movements will tend to decrease. “The aviation industry remains dynamic,” says Michael Eggenschwiler. “The airline mix may see further realignment, which will make itself felt at Hamburg Airport. We will once again apply the highest standards of safety and customer satisfaction in 2018.”

With its optimised infrastructure, Hamburg Airport is preparing for the future demands of air traffic and the growing demand for mobility. Phase 5 of the comprehensive refurbishment of the main apron will commence in February; this marks the halfway stage of the 120-million-euro project, scheduled for completion in 2020. In addition, the baggage conveyor belts in the check-in area of Terminal 2 are currently being replaced.

Photo acknowledgements: Michael Penner