After years of continuous traffic growth, the global spread of the coronavirus has caused passenger numbers at Munich Airport to drop again for the first time. The number of aircraft movements dropped from over 200,000 take-offs and landings to around 87,000 – a fall of 57%. The volume of air cargo carried was 87,000 tonnes and has therefore halved compared with the previous year’s figure.
In the second quarter of 2020, passenger traffic at Munich Airport almost came to a standstill owing to the global travel restrictions. The volume of passengers decreased by 98 percent compared with the previous year. The number of take-offs and landings fell by around 92 percent in this period. As a result, the airport recorded the lowest quarterly result since it opened in 1992.
With a 78% fall, air cargo saw slightly less of a reduction in the second quarter. Special flights with cargo planes that transported medical supplies to Munich made an impact here.
CEO of Flughafen München GmbH, Jost Lammers says: “Just like the airlines, we are in a difficult situation through no fault of our own, which is posing considerable challenges. We are now having to put Munich Airport through a phase of consolidation that will last for a number of years. But with regard to medium- and long-term developments I’m still confident that our airport will resume its role as a significant European air transportation hub.”
