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Issue 5 2011 / 5 October 2011 /
Our editorial board members form an important part of our publication. Offering insight and knowledge, they contribute comment on the issues that are shaping the market. In the first of a regular feature we interview each board member to find out more about them and how their role is having an effect on the industry.
Recently, Mark Glover went to meet Dr. Michael Kerkloh, CEO of Munich Airport, which has once again been voted the best airport in Europe at the prestigious Skytrax awards. We discuss the accolade as well as expansion at the airport, the SESAR initiative and his favourite football team!
Mark Glover: You have again been voted the best airport in Europe. How do you intend to maintain your title? Dr.
Michael Kerkloh: First of all, the award is an honour. It is awarded by the customers which is important to us. The challenge will of course be staying at number one, particularly as we aim to expand to a larger airport, so maintaining the quality as a larger airport is our goal. (more…)
Issue 4 2011 / 8 August 2011 /
A hundred years ago, on the site that is today home to one of Europe’s most modern airports, there stood a single, two-door airship hangar. By the end of the 1920s, a modern terminal building was already making its mark on the city of Hamburg. Today, Hamburg Airport greets arriving tourists and business travellers with its futuristic glass and steel architecture, a unique advertisement for the city. In total, we have invested around €350 million in the expansion programme, an expansion programme that is the largest project of its kind ever to be seen at the airport.
Some of the milestones in the construction of the new Hamburg Airport were the completion of the two state-of-the-art passenger terminals and the airport plaza with a central security checkpoint, the extension of the passenger pier, the installation of a dynamic parking guidance system, the creation of additional parking spaces, the S-Bahn (metro rail network) connection to downtown Hamburg and the construction of the Radisson BLU Hotel Hamburg Airport, directly opposite the terminals. (more…)
Issue 2 2011 / 11 April 2011 /
Since 1992, GATE has been the German umbrella association for quality airport suppliers, enhancing worldwide the image of competence and reliability for its corporate members, encouraging cooperation and supporting strategic alliances.
Since the wide body Aircraft came into service demanding new facilities on the ground, airport equipment companies have had a driving objective to create an identity and a strategic platform specifically for the airport industry, specifically to meet experts and executives operating airports who were looking for advanced technology to keep pace with passenger growth. (more…)
Issue 6 2009, Past issues / 11 December 2009 /
Fraport expects to spend a huge €7 billion by 2015 to ensure Frankfurt airport strengthens its position as a leading global hub. In the competitive European airport business, Fraport, which owns and operates Frankfurt airport, has put in place a series of initiatives to make sure it can deliver a large increase in capacity by 2015 to handle predicted passenger and cargo growth.
A fourth runway, a new third terminal for passengers in the south of the airport, and the expansion and modernisation of existing terminals, including the ability to handle wide-bodied aircraft such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747/800, are all part of the biggest expansion in the history of Germany’s largest airport.
When the new Runway Northwest is finished in 2011, the number of aircraft movements per hour will rise from 83 today, to 126, a 50% increase. Based on planned capacity increases at other European airports such as London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle or Amsterdam Schiphol, Frankfurt will offer the highest slot capacity. (more…)
Issue 5 2009, Past issues / 29 September 2009 /
Berlin Airports provides essential aviation infrastructure for the entire Berlin-Brandenburg region around Germany’s capital city. In September 2006, work started to transform and extend Schoenefeld Airport into the new Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport (BBI). From 2011, all air traffic in the region will be focused on the new airport in south-east Berlin. The first major step towards this goal was the closure of Tempelhof Airport on 30 October 2008. The closure of Tegel Airport is due to follow in 2011 when BBI opens.
2008 was the most successful year in the history of Berlin Airports. With a record result of over 21 million passengers, Berlin Airports surpassed the previous year’s figures by an impressive 1.4 million passengers, which represents growth of 6.8 percent. These results make Berlin one of the fastest-growing airports in Germany. In the ranking of Germany’s 24 commercial airports, Berlin again succeeded in securing third position behind Frankfurt and Munich. In the European ranking, Berlin occupies fifteenth place. (more…)
Issue 2 2009, Past issues / 31 March 2009 /
Air traffic never stops – even under icy conditions and the heaviest snowfalls, operations continue despite inclement weather conditions. At Munich Airport, one rule never changes: safety comes first. Making sure that there is no danger to aircraft taxiing, taking off and landing at Munich Airport are the winter services of FMG, the airport’s operating company, and EFM, a special company responsible for de-icing and towing operations.
To ensure that flight operations continue on the airport aprons, taxiways and runways, Munich Airport deploys up to 150 employees of FMG’s winter services, with their special vehicles, on each shift. The taxiways and the two runways, each four kilometres long and 50 metres wide, are continually cleared of ice and snow by a total of 24 airblast sweepers, two spreaders, two so-called multi-deicers and six snow ploughs. Another 75 snow clearing vehicles are assigned to the park positions. In total, the winter services crews are responsible for an area of four million square metres. (more…)
Issue 6 2008, Past issues / 3 December 2008 /
Ecological sustainability has traditionally been a key element in Munich Airport’s environmental strategy and policy, and will become increasingly important in the future as the airport continues to pursue initiatives, not only in the form of innovative environmental projects.
More than 60% of Munich’s 1550 hectares are green areas, and FMG, the Munich Airport operating company, has purchased and set aside further tracts of woodland and wetlands in the immediate airport region as conservation areas, to compensate for the areas paved over when the airport was built. In the 1990s, Munich Airport became the first airport worldwide with a hydrogen fuelling station for apron buses and other vehicles. The pilot research project, funded by the State of Bavaria, was successfully completed in late 2006.
In 2005 Munich Airport received environmental certification under EMAS (Eco Management and Audit Scheme) and DIN ISO 14001, which demonstrates Munich Airport’s relentless commitment to go above and beyond environmental regulations, set at the EU and national level, mandating environmental protection standards at airports. The focus is now on establishing new and streamlining existing sustainability measures at Munich Airport in line with certification standards. Certification under the ISO 14001 and EMAS standards was successfully renewed this year and remains a key element in FMG’s environmental strategy. (more…)
Issue 6 2008, Past issues / 3 December 2008 /
‘Boomtown Hamburg’ – the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg is continuing to develop into one of Europe’s top city destinations. Tourism in the Greater Hamburg region is experiencing significantly more dynamic growth than in other major cities, such as Berlin and Munich. Hamburg’s hotels reported 7.4 million overnight stays in 2006, and the growth is continuing. The city welcomed a total of 111 million day trippers in 2007. Hamburg Airport is a substantial contributor to the region’s tourism boom. It is not only one of Germany’s largest airports, it is also among the fastest growing.
Around 65 airlines fly from Hamburg to more than 130 destinations worldwide. More than 1,600 people are employed by the Hamburg Airport Group and its 14 subsidiary companies, and more than 250 companies operating on the airport premises provide jobs to almost 14,000 people. Hamburg Airport paints an accurate picture of the entire aviation industry in the immediate past. Last year saw 6.9% growth in passenger numbers to almost 12.8 million and growth of 12% was recorded the previous year. This year the airport is expecting more than 13 million passengers, a new record in the company’s almost 100 year history. (more…)
Issue 5 2008, Past issues / 30 September 2008 /
Berlin Airports, the operator of the airports Schoenefeld, Tempelhof and Tegel, provides essential aviation infrastructure for the entire Berlin-Brandenburg region around Germany’s capital city. From 2011, all air traffic over the region will be focused on the new capital city airport Berlin Brandenburg International (BBI). The first step towards this transition will be the closure of Tempelhof Airport on 30 October 2008.
Berlin Airports continues to achieve record-breaking growth. In 2007, more than 20 million passengers flew to and from the city, putting Berlin in third position of all commercial airports in Germany in terms of passenger numbers. Notching up eight percent growth, Berlin’s airport locations are growing faster than average in comparison to Germany’s other commercial airports and it has never been better connected to the world than at present. In 2007, a total of 84 airlines flew to the three Berlin airports, with the inner-European service network especially well represented. (more…)
Issue 5 2007, Past issues / 28 September 2007 /
In the middle of the so-called ‘Blue Banana’ – Europe’s prime business region located between Marseille and London – Frankfurt-Hahn Airport is in the process of writing a real success story. Around 100 kilometres away from the metropolis of Frankfurt am Main, this second Frankfurt airport has grown into an important international commercial airport within just a few years. (more…)
Issue 5 2007, Past issues / 28 September 2007 /
The international aviation industry continues to develop robustly despite the negative effects and cost pressures of kerosene supply, security controls and other factors. Airports have responded by adapting capacity to the changing market conditions and growth. New international gateways have been emerging, as have new markets. In this ever changing competitive environment, even a top 10-ranked airport like Frankfurt Airport (FRA) cannot rest on its laurels. Fraport, the airport’s owner and manager, also depends on an active acquisition and sales team to tell airlines the advantages of the Frankfurt global hub and how they will be able to grow their business.
While passenger growth may not be as fast as at some other airports, FRA is growing from a much higher base of 50-plus million passengers. Despite existing capacity constraints, Germany’s largest airport welcomed 52,821,778 passengers last year, 1.1 percent more than in 2005. Airfreight grew at a significantly stronger 8.7 percent rate, hitting 2,057,175 metric tonnes. With 489,406 takeoffs and landings, FRA’s aircraft movements remained nearly unchanged (down 0.2 percent). FRA achieved several historic traffic records in 2006. In July, the monthly passenger volume reached 5,085,258 and aircraft movements climbed to 43,601; in November monthly airfreight traffic hit 187,307 metric tonnes. (more…)
Issue 3 2007, Past issues / 7 June 2007 /
We spoke with Dr. Michael Kerkloh, CEO, Munich Airport about the ground handling operation at Munich International Airport. (more…)
Issue 1 2007, Past issues / 6 February 2007 /
Munich Airport’s impressive, recent growth shows no sign of slowing. Over 30 million passengers were recorded in 2006, the first time that the airport has broken the barrier in a single operating year, and expansion plans are already in place to accommodate future demand. However, as Michael Zaddach explains, success can’t be achieved or sustained through construction alone. IT underpins Munich’s growth, invisibly smoothing operations and the processing of ever greater numbers of passengers and volumes of baggage.
Just days before Christmas 2006, Munich Airport welcomed its 30 millionth passenger for the year, cementing its claim to a permanent spot among Europe’s major air transport hubs. This milestone marked the start of the latest chapter in Munich Airport’s success story, which saw its most recent high point with the opening of Terminal 2 in 2003. Airport planners are already at work on new infrastructure projects, responding to the unabated growth in passenger numbers, take-offs and landings, and cargo volume at Munich Airport. In 2007, construction will start on a new freight facility, and an additional hotel is in the planning stage. (more…)
Issue 3 2006, Past issues / 11 September 2006 /
Thirty-two teams comprising players, trainers and support staff, 12,000 journalists, thousands of VIPs and several million fans were expected in Germany for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. All of them had to be transported safely and punctually – at the busiest time of the year in terms of tourist travel in Germany.
This was a logistical challenge, particularly for the air transport industry and the air navigation services. DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH responded in due time by establishing a DFS World Cup Coordination Team. Together with airlines, airports and security authorities, the Coordination Team developed a concept to ensure a safe and orderly flow of air traffic during this special event.
It was not possible to make reliable assumptions about the additional traffic to be expected in Germany’s airspace during the World Cup before the start of the tournament. By 9 May 2006, the Airport Coordinator of the Federal Republic of Germany had received notifications for 3,357 additional flights in connection with the World Cup. This was an enormous increase over the previous weeks. At that time, the airports were expecting this number to increase further again, an assumption which was proved right. It was presumed, however, that additional World Cup flights would only have a slight impact on the overall traffic volume. (more…)
Issue 4 2005, Past issues / 25 November 2005 /
Controlling ice and snow in major hub operations is an increasingly challenging task. In this article, Munich Airport reveals what it takes to remain open through the winter months.
A single runway closure of 30 minutes can easily build up to average delays of 2-3 hours with a traffic density on the scale of 70-90 movements per hour. Subsequently, if ATC doesn´t imposing pre-tactical flow control measures, the holding stock capacity of major airports can easily be exceeded when snow clearance requires a sudden runway closure during peak hours.
After completion of the runway clearance, delays can be further exacerbated by bottlenecks in remote aircraft de-icing areas. Crew duty hour limitations on long-haul services might also result in cancellations, even if the initial weather-induced delay was only minor.
Another consideration is that an initial departure delay is exacerbated if the aircraft cannot keep its slot. This situation may even worsen if the destination airport is also subject to weather-related closures and delays. Night flight restrictions, which are a very present concern here in Germany, also limit the capability to absorb delays, causing backlogs in scheduling the following day. (more…)
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