Airports in the news – Summer 2017

Dublin Airport

Has processed an extra 525,000 pax in 2017 vs 2016 (Jan-Apr)

Dublin Airport has unveiled a series of unique Irish art installations that it hopes will help leave passengers with a positive lasting impression of Ireland. Three locations after the passenger security screening areas in both terminals have been chosen to depict native wildlife and the unique quality of Irish light.

Gatwick Airport

Handled around the same amount of pax in 2016 as the rest of London’s smaller airports combined

Gatwick passed the 44 million passengers a year mark for the first time on 7 April 2017 – a world record for a single runway airport. Driven by growth in long haul routes, the airport has reported its busiest-ever March, with over 3.3 million passengers passing through – up 8.4% on the same month in 2016. Despite record pax numbers, Gatwick has recently been accredited as carbon neutral – the highest level of Airport Carbon Accreditation.

Eindhoven Airport

Has processed an extra 260,000 pax in 2017 vs 2016 (Jan-Apr)

Eindhoven Airport achieved 20% growth in passenger numbers in the first quarter of 2017. This means that the second-largest airport in the Netherlands is one of the fastest-growing airports in Europe. This year the airport will surpass 5 million passengers for the first time. With significant growth also comes busy days; the Friday before the Easter holiday commenced, the airport noted its busiest day so far. Most travellers opted for the sun, as Faro and Barcelona were the most popular destination among all travellers on 14 April.

Bremen Airport

Has handled 660,000 passengers so far in 2017 (Jan-Apr)

Bremen Airport was the setting for a first plane to land in Germany using only sat nav. It was the first time that a passenger aircraft landed in Germany using a new satellite-based precision approach procedure without the aid of the conventional ground-based navigation infrastructure. This was made possible by EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service), a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) that supplements GPS and other satellite navigation systems. It improves the position accuracy of GPS from 10-20m to 1-3m. Bremen is the first airport in Germany to have implemented a precision approach procedure using SBAS.

Palma de Mallorca Airport

Has handled 4.7m passengers so far in 2017 (Jan-Apr)

Palma de Mallorca Airport successfully adopted Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM), becoming the 22nd airport in Europe and the 3rd in Spain to fully implement this operational procedure. A-CDM enables airports to enhance their operational efficiency through greater information sharing among involved airport partners and the EUROCONTROL Network Manager. It also allows for better coordinated processes in order to improve flight punctuality, traffic predictability and lower environmental impact.

Bologna Airport

Is on course to break the 8 million barrier in 2017 for the first time

Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport is offering passengers new self-service convenience when checking in their baggage with the introduction of SITA’s Scan&Fly bag drop units. Passengers can now check in their own bags in less than a minute, resulting in fewer queues and a better passenger experience overall.

Sarajevo Airport

Will handle nearly 3 times as many pax in peak months (Aug) vs low season (Jan)

Bosnia’s Sarajevo Airport is set to implement a 38 million marka (€19.4 million) expansion project to accommodate rising passenger numbers. The airport’s Terminal B will be expanded by 9,000sqm to increase its passenger processing capacity above the current 1 million mark. The main reconstruction and expansion project will be drawn up by local company Group Arch.

Ljubljana Airport

Has achieved +15% monthly growth in every month so far in 2017 (Jan-Apr)

Aerodrom Ljubljana, the manager of Ljubljana Airport which was acquired by Germany’s airport operator Fraport in 2014, has rebranded to become Fraport Slovenija. A €16 million expansion of the passenger terminal is also planned by the spring of 2020. The announced expansion of the passenger terminal will prevent congestion due to the growing number of passengers, and will allow for further expansion if necessary.

Kiev Boryspil Airport

Has averaged 32.1% monthly growth in 2017 (Jan-Mar)

Boryspil International Airport is hoping to double its passenger numbers in the coming years, led by the transit markets and outbound leisure. After the period of political instability in the region, the airport has shown strong growth for the last two years. Ryanair has disclosed plans to start serving Ukraine. Kiev will be served thrice-weekly from Eindhoven, five times per week from London Stansted, thrice-weekly from Manchester, and four times per week from Stockholm Skavsta. Ryanair estimates it will carry 250,000 passengers per annum across the new routes.

Copenhagen Airport

Will get close to breaking the 30m annual pax barrier for the first time in 2017

Copenhagen Airport is inviting Danish and international companies to create a new airport business park that could act as the catalyst for the gateway to handle up to one million tonnes of cargo annually. The proposed new development will mean “more jobs, more exports and even better opportunities to do business with the wider world”. If it becomes reality, the new business park will cover an area the size of 25 football pitches.

Oslo Airport

Has averaged 8.2% monthly growth in 2017 (Jan-Apr)

Designed by Nordic-Office of Architecture and directly named world’s greenest terminal, the 115,000sqm expansion of Oslo Airport sets new standards in sustainability. Snow from the runways will be collected and stored during wintertime in an onsite depot to be used as coolant during the summer. Natural materials have been used throughout the building: the new pier is entirely clad in timber sourced from Scandinavian forests. Recycled steel and special, environmentally friendly, concrete mixed with volcanic ash has been used throughout. By choosing environmentally friendly materials, the building’s CO2 emissions were reduced by 35%.


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