Munich Airport Reports 32.7 million Passengers in 2009

The global financial and economic crisis did not leave Munich Airport's traffic figures unscathed in 2009. Just under 32.7 million passengers – 5% less than in the previous year – used Bavaria's international aviation hub. The decline is mainly a reflection of weak demand in the business travel segment that was not offset despite a parallel rise in the number of passengers traveling for personal reasons. While the share of business travelers in total traffic dropped by 6 percentage points to 45%, the proportion of personal travel rose to 55%. Among Europe's busiest passenger airports Munich Airport remained number seven.

The recovery of air traffic in Munich over the course of the year was plain to see in the quarterly passenger figures. After a 10% drop in the first quarter of 2009 as compared with the same period a year earlier, the fourth quarter figures actually showed a year-on-year increase. For the current year Dr Michael Kerkloh, the CEO of FMG, the Munich Airport operating company, expects the upward trend to continue. "From today's standpoint we expect to see an increase of about 3% in total passengers this year – partly as a result of a substantial expansion of our flight timetable," he said.

Despite the decreases in traffic, FMG was able to present very respectable economic results for 2009. After depreciation and taxes, preliminary figures for the year just ended, excluding exceptional charges, show earnings for FMG of approximately 105 million euros. This represents an increase of 27 million euros as compared with the previous year, but does not include provisions for the ground handling activities. The total revenues of the airport operating company decreased slightly to 844 million euros. Cash flow was in the neighborhood of 175 million euros. In the FMG Group – which includes the subsidiaries – sales and revenues exceeded the one billion euro mark.

A total of nearly 400,000 take-offs and landings took place at Munich Airport during the past year, which represents a decline of about 8% as compared with 2008. Thus the number of aircraft movements showed a steeper decline than the total number of passengers using the airport – a reflection of decisions by airlines to combine flights and use larger aircraft. The average maximum take-off weight of the planes operating in Munich increased from 66.1 to 68.2 tons.

The total airfreight volume at Munich Airport, at almost 216,000 tons, was 11% lower than in the previous year. However – as in the passenger segment – the quarterly figures for the cargo business show a clear upward trend. After plummeting 26% in the first quarter, the freight volume was already posting positive results again in the final three months of the year, with an increase of nearly 9% as compared with the previous year.

Passenger demand showed differing trends in the various traffic segments, with the domestic and European segments incurring decreases of 6.5 and 5.9%, respectively, while demand was largely stable in the intercontinental segment, where the 4.6 million passengers flying to long-haul destinations kept the performance in this area at the same high level as in 2008. The Asian routes actually posted gains, with total traffic up by over 6%.

In 2010 the attractive range of long-haul routes served from Munich will continue to expand, mainly through new flights offered by Star Alliance airlines. Lufthansa will be flying three times a week to Miami, four times to Tehran and three times to Tashkent in Uzbekistan. At the end of March Singapore Airlines will be operating five weekly flights to Singapore with a Boeing 777. All Nippon Airways will also be flying a Boeing 777 on its daily flights to Tokyo. In addition, Continental Airlines will be departing daily from Munich to Newark, near New York, with a Boeing 767. According to current scheduling, the number of intercontinental flights will increase by 6% to approximately 260 long-haul connections per week.

In 2009 scheduled services were offered from Munich to 235 destinations in 69 countries. As in the previous year September was again the busiest month, with 3.1 million passengers. On Friday, 25 September the airport handled 117,060 arriving and departing passengers: more than on any other day in 2009. The share of connecting passengers in total traffic increased another percentage point in 2009 to 37%. The increase yet again last year in the share of transit passengers underscores the continuing rise in the importance of Munich Airport's hub function.

In view of the significantly improved economic situation and a noticeable resurgence in demand for air travel, airport CEO Kerkloh sees strong medium to long-term prospects for a continuation of the successful development of the hub. "To be in a position to benefit from the existing growth opportunities, a third runway is urgently needed at Munich Airport. We therefore hope that the ongoing planning permission process will end with a positive ruling this year so that we can move forward decisively with the expansion projects that are so crucial to the development of our airport," said Kerkloh.

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