Traffic figures 2023:13.6 million passengers use Hamburg Airport

Air traffic continues to recover: demand for air travel at Hamburg Airport increased again in 2023. Compared to 2022, the first year without coronavirus restrictions, passenger volumes have risen by around 22 per cent, from 11.1 million (2022) to around 13.6 million passengers in 2023. One particularly positive aspect is that aircraft capacity utilisation is at 80 per cent, which is above the pre-crisis level (2019: 77.8 per cent). In order to meet the high demand, the airlines from Hamburg are also deploying larger aircraft models with a higher passenger capacity. The airport is expecting further growth next year.

Strong demand for holidays: In 2023, passenger numbers at Hamburg Airport are characterised by a significant increase in demand. Compared to the previous year, 22 per cent more passengers took a flight to or from Hamburg. The majority of them were travelling on holiday or to visit family or friends. The proportion of private travellers was just under 80 percent. Meanwhile, the proportion of business travellers was just over 20 percent.

The strong demand for holidays was not only evident in the peak travel period from June to August. Many northern Germans were also keen to travel in autumn, both during and outside the school holidays. And so, after a strong summer, October developed into the absolute record month since coronavirus - with three all-time highs: In addition to the monthly record (1.45 million passengers in October 2023), the airport also recorded a new weekly high with 342,000 passengers and the busiest day on Friday, 13 October 2023, with 56,500 passengers. Despite the positive development, there is still a shortfall of around 22 per cent to reach the passenger level of 2019 (17.3 million).

Traffic figures at a glance: With around 120,300 take-offs and landings, the total number of aircraft movements in 2023 has increased by around 9.8 per cent compared to the previous year (2022: 109,600 take-offs and landings; 2019: around 155,200 take-offs and landings). In response to the strong demand, the airlines in Hamburg are also deploying larger aircraft with a higher seating capacity. As a result, the average number of seats per flight rose from 160 (2022) to 163, compared to 159 in 2019. A particularly positive aspect is that the aircraft travelling to or from Hamburg are increasingly well utilised. On average, 80.1 per cent of seats were occupied, which corresponds to an increase of 4.6 percentage points compared to the previous year (2022: 75.5 per cent). The average number of passengers per flight in 2023 was 130, compared to 121 in the previous year (2022).

Christian Kunsch, CEO of Hamburg Airport: "Airlines are planning more efficiently and are now tailoring their services precisely to demand. As a result, capacities are being utilised in the best possible way and significantly more passengers are being transported on one flight today, which is a positive signal for more sustainable aviation. This development is entirely in line with Hamburg Airport's ambitious climate protection targets."

Outlook for 2024: positive traffic development: According to current forecasts, Hamburg Airport is expecting around 14.3 million passengers next year - an increase of around 5 per cent compared to 2023. "The development of the traffic figures makes me look to the future with confidence. We are also expecting growth next year and things are continuing to look up. The fact that holiday travellers in particular have returned so quickly after the pandemic clearly shows people's wanderlust and desire for mobility. We can already offer our passengers a route network that is almost as strong as in 2019, which I am particularly pleased about. With the announcement of many new direct destinations within Europe and the new long-haul connection Hamburg-Doha, 2023 ended at Hamburg Airport with good news for us, but also for travellers, who will have even more options open to them in the new year," says Christian Kunsch, CEO of Hamburg Airport.