Aviation in Hamburg: A history
Find out more about the long and successful history of aviation in Hamburg
Hamburg is the third largest civil aviation centre in the world and is known for its innovative strength and excellence in the aviation industry. The metropolitan region brings together a large number of companies, research and educational institutions, which together form a strong and dynamic aviation community. Hamburg can also look back on a long and rich history in aircraft construction, aircraft maintenance and air traffic.
42000
Experts
300
+
Conmpanies and Institutions
€
5.13
bn
Gross value creation annually
Aircraft Manufacturing
With up to 18,000 employees at its sites in Finkenwerder, Stade and Buxtehude, Airbus is the largest industrial employer in the Hamburg metropolitan region. With 50 per cent of all deliveries of the A320 family (30 per month from four final assembly lines), Hamburg is primarily regarded as the ‘home’ of the short and medium-haul jet. Fuselage segments and CFRP wing shells, among other things, are built in the region for the long-haul A350 model. All aircraft of the successful A321XLR model are built in Hamburg. The tail units of all Airbus models currently on the market (except A220) come from the plant in Stade. Hamburg is also regarded as a leading centre of excellence for cabin development
Aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO)
MRO is a core component of Hamburg's aviation cluster. Headquartered in Hamburg and with over 8,000 employees on-site, Lufthansa Technik is one of the region’s largest employers and the MRO world market leader. Its Hamburg HQ is renowned as a center of excellence for VIP modification (e.g. government aircraft) and for engine overhaul. Hamburg's world-class MRO expertise also includes the German Aerospace Center Institute for MRO and companies such as Vartan Aero.
Airport and Air Transport
With over 17 million passengers per year, Hamburg Helmut Schmidt Airport is one of the most modern and of the fastest growing airports in Germany. At the same time, “HAM” is the oldest civil airport in the world still operating at its place of origin, tracing its origins back to 1911. Today, Hamburg's airport is involved in many groundbreaking initiatives to decarbonise its operations, aiming to become net zero by 2035. The German Aerospace Center's new Institute of Air Transport researches flight operations concepts, air transport management and economics.
Suppliers and SMEs
With over 10,000 employees in around 300 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), SMEs form the backbone of the aviation location. They have settled around the three large companies as suppliers and service providers. The focus is on the areas of aircraft interior fittings and aircraft production. The players range from owner-managed family businesses to multinational corporations. Many of them are represented by the two associations Hanse-Aerospace e.V. and HECAS e.V.
Universities
Four universities in Hamburg offer aviation-related courses: the Helmut Schmidt University (HSU - University of the Federal Armed Forces), the University of Applied Sciences (HAW), the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) and the University of Hamburg (UHH).
Research
Hamburg is one of the most important international locations for civil aviation research. Outstanding examples are the ZAL Center for Applied Aeronautical Research, the German Aerospace Center's Hamburg-based institutes for maintenance, system architectures and air traffic as well as research institutes at universities, such as IFPT. Airbus is also constantly expanding its research activities in the metropolitan region, most recently with the establishment of the ZEROe development center in Stade.
Cooperating with policymakers
Close networking with lawmakers and a results-oriented economic policy: Hamburg's aviation industry benefits from the city-state structure of local government. The City's cluster support policy, which has been institutionalized for many years as a key instrument to strengthen economic development, was recognized by the EU as a “Model Demonstrator Region”. Our members benefit from deep level of exchange between Hamburg's industry clusters, supported by institutions such as Hamburg Invest and the Ministry of Economics and Innovation.
