Busiest ever November at Copenhagen Airport

Copenhagen Airport enjoyed its best ever November, handling 2.42 million passengers during the month, a rise of 11% on the same period a year ago.

It notes that the growth was mainly driven by transfer traffic, with one in four passengers now changing flights in Copenhagen.

“This year, the airlines have the largest winter traffic programme in the airport’s history with more connections than ever before,” says the airport’s commercial director, Peter Krogsgaard.

“The routes to warmer destinations in Europe are popular, and there is also great demand on the many routes further out into the world.”

Regardless of the season, London is the undisputed most popular destination from Copenhagen. In Southern Europe, Spain is the favourite of November travellers. Here, the destinations 
Barcelona, Malaga and Gran Canaria are in the lead, but Madrid is also experiencing high growth.

Transfer traffic in strong growth 


More and more people are using Copenhagen Airport as a hub on their way to their final 
destination. Indeed, 37% of passengers were transfer passengers in November compared to the same month last year. This means that every fourth passenger at the airport is now a transfer passenger.

“The significant growth in transfer traffic is a clear signal that Copenhagen is the preferred traffic hub in the Nordic region,” enthuses Krogsgaard.

“It strengthens connections to Europe and the intercontinental routes to, among others, North America and Asia and gives Denmark a competitive advantage.

“With transfer traffic, we can maintain and develop the route network to destinations around the world that would otherwise not be directly accessible, and this is positive for the Danish economy.”

The majority of transfer passengers come from Denmark, Sweden and Norway, but also from Germany, Italy and Poland.

Domestic travel on the rise 


Domestic traffic also increased significantly in November with 23% more passengers than in the same period last year.

According to operator, Copenhagen Airports, this shows that the aircraft continues to be an important part of the Danish infrastructure and creates cohesion across the regions of the country.

Krogsgaard says: “Domestic routes are crucial for many Danes who need to get back and forth quickly between the regions of the country, and no matter where you are in the country, there is easy access to the whole world.

“The growth emphasises that we have a strong and efficient network, which makes it easy to get from Aalborg or Bornholm to, for example, Marrakesh or Seoul.”

The domestic growth is mainly due to traffic on the routes from Billund and Aalborg and is driven by both local passengers and transfer travellers.

Strong winter traffic program for long-haul routes

This year’s winter traffic programme offers many long-haul routes, which contribute to November’s passenger growth.

The airport notes that there are now even more opportunities to travel directly to Asia with Shanghai back on the route map, routes to Japan are “experiencing great progress”, and new destinations such as Mumbai in India and Seoul in Korea have been added.

“We are experiencing a great appetite for travel to Asia and the Middle East. This reflects a travel trend where more people are looking for experiences that provide insight into other traditions and cultures,” adds Krogsgaard.

“Therefore, it is crucial that we, as the largest international traffic hub in the Nordic region, can contribute to this development with a broad and stable route network that follows passengers’ needs and travel patterns.”

In November, 23% more passengers travelled between Copenhagen and Asian destinations compared to the same month last year, while the Middle East experienced 14% growth.

In 14 days, there will be more opportunities to travel to Asia when Vietnam Airlines opens the first ever direct route between Denmark and Vietnam. The company flies three times a week between Copenhagen and Ho Chi Minh City.