Soaring High: Hamburg Airport's Ascent in the Second Tier of Global Air Travel
Hamburg Airport achieves promotion to the Second Division successively - Hamburg Airport scores promotion to the Second League's elite after a series of victorious operations.
The political scene in Hamburg sees Hamburg Airport climbing the ladder of success - all while missing out on glamorous transatlantic destinations like New York. After the coronavirus crash, the airport expects a remarkable recovery of 85 percent with the summer flight plan compared to the pre-pandemic year 2019 and ranks third among German airports, outperforming Düsseldorf, as per recent Senate reports in response to a written minor interpellation from the CDU parliamentary group.
CDU member Michael Becken, the spokesperson for Europe and International Affairs in the faction, isn't impressed. Criticizing the red-green coalition, he warns against allowing the airport to slip into being a mere provincial one. With airports like Berlin (74 percent of the pre-pandemic level), Stuttgart (76 percent) and Cologne (80 percent) trailing behind Hamburg, Becken finds it disheartening to see Hamburg struggling for ambition.
A boost in flights to Doha is expanding the range of offers
"Airports like Hamburg are advancing at a fast pace compared to Berlin, Stuttgart, and Cologne," the Senate informs. With around 120 destinations, the Hamburg Airport Helmut Schmidt is back at the 2019 level. "In terms of direct long-haul connections, the Hamburg Airport has even surpassed the pre-pandemic pandemic level in terms of passenger volume," it continues.
Long-haul flights are typically defined as those over a distance of 3,500 kilometers - about the equivalent of the distances to the Egyptian resort of Hurghada or the Canary Islands, directly served from Hamburg.
The longest direct flights from Hamburg lead to Dubai and Doha in the United Arab Emirates - and thus to the international hubs of Emirates and Qatar Airways. Qatar has been flying this route daily non-stop for almost a year, which will further enhance international connectivity by 2025, as stated by the Senate.
A resurgence of the Hamburg - New York connection seems distant
Important destinations for business travelers, notably in North and South America or Asia, are notably absent from the Hamburg flight plan. The routes invariably lead via Doha to Frankfurt, Munich, or other large European airports, and this isn't likely to change soon, according to the Senate.
Despite speculations about a revival of the non-stop connection to New York, discontinued in 2018, the current political environment and the highly imbalanced demand (mostly from the northern German market) make it a formidable challenge to acquire such connections, operated exclusively by airlines from North America.
Hamburg Airport on the forefront of "One-Stop-Connectivity"
Hamburg is pushing for liberalization of traffic rights at the federal level to seize future market opportunities for the use of the Airbus A321 XLR, a long-haul aircraft built in Finkenwerder. With this economical long-haul aircraft, airlines could potentially establish connections over the Atlantic.
For airports like Hamburg, which cannot be hubs, the so-called "One-Stop-Connectivity" - the connection to national and international hubs from which flights to all over the world can be operated - is vital for its location quality. "According to the current ranking of the European airport association, the Hamburg Airport is in a vibrant 22nd place out of 473 airports in Europe and is thus in some cases ahead of German competitors such as Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, or Cologne/Bonn," the Senate writes.
The CDU parliamentary group views the Senate's plans as insufficiently ambitious.
"For Becken, there's no denying it: The Hamburg Airport plays a trivial role for Red-Green." The content of the coalition agreement does not contain a strategic direction for the airport. "Even the capacity is not to be increased in the long term - a pitiful showing for the second-largest city of the world's third-largest economy," Becken told the German Press Agency.
Instead of focusing on inner-city traffic, Transport Senator Anjes Tjarks (Greens) "must finally put the airport on his policy agenda," Becken demands. "The airport in Hamburg must urgently be strengthened to fully exploit its potential and give a boost to Hamburg's economy."
- Michael Becken, the CDU member, suggests that Hamburg Airport should aim for more than just provincial stature, comparing its current status to airports like Berlin, Stuttgart, and Cologne that are trailing behind in terms of recovery.
- In order to boost international connectivity, Becken suggests that Hamburg Airport should push for liberalization of traffic rights at the federal level to take advantage of the Airbus A321 XLR, a long-haul aircraft, potentially enabling non-stop connections over the Atlantic and increasing Hamburg's role in global air travel.
