Munich Airport to Serve Record 37 Million Passengers in 2011
“When we think of the major air transportation hubs with more than 50 million passengers per year, it is soon clear how difficult it is for an airport to continue offering a high quality passenger experience and the appropriate standards of service.”
Dr. Michael Kerkloh, CEO of airport operator FMG
Munich Airport, ranked Europe’s best airport in a recent Skytrax survey, expects to serve a record 37 million passengers this year. In the first half of 2011, the airport achieved a 13% year on year rise in passenger numbers to reach 18 million while take offs and landings grew by 9% and cargo traffic was up 14%. On June 10 alone, Munich Airport served more than 130,000 passengers. Munich Airport has seen particularly strong growth in the BRICS markets – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – and is actively working to add more Asian routes to its portfolio.
Dr. Michael Kerkloh, CEO of airport operator FMG, explains, “These numbers are the highest in the airport’s history. For Munich Airport, it’s now a matter of building quantity while sustaining quality.” Munich Airport is a certified Corporate Decision Making airport and has a stellar record in performance, customer satisfaction and environmental protection. One of the airport’s innovative initiatives is its InfoGates system, which brings information services to travellers anywhere in the airport at any time.
The runway project is in the final stages of the approval process and FMG hopes to put it into service by 2015. The airport currently has a capacity of 90 take-offs and landings per hour on two runways, and the new runway will boost this to 120. To help the surrounding region to cope with the growth of the airport, FMG has contributed € 100 million to advance infrastructure projects in the region and compensate for hardships related to the third runway. FMG also plans to build a second freight forwarding facility to double the capacity of the existing freight forwarders hall.
Dr. Michael Kerkloh concludes, “When we think of the major air transportation hubs with more than 50 million passengers per year, it is soon clear how difficult it is for an airport to continue offering a high quality passenger experience and the appropriate standards of service. However, that must be the standard against which we will measure ourselves in the coming years.”
