A total of about 4.2 million passengers took off and landed at the two central German airports Dresden and Leipzig/Halle in 2019. But while Leipzig/Halle Airport managed to post positive figures with the second highest passenger volume in its history and a new cargo record, Dresden Airport was hit by the loss of the charter airline Germania. Overall, passenger numbers at the two Mitteldeutsche Flughäfen airports were down 2.7 percent on the previous year due to the Germania effect. The number of aircraft movements at both airports fell by 1.8 percent to 107,563 take-offs and landings. Bucking the national trend, cargo handling at Leipzig/Halle Airport rose for the fifteenth time in succession to around 1.24 million tonnes.
Leipzig/Halle Airport
Leipzig/Halle Airport recorded the second-best result in its history last year, with 2,618,772 passengers. Year-on-year volumes were up 1.9 percent. This growth was driven by the increase in tourist traffic, with demand for destinations in Tunisia, Spain and Turkey developing particularly well. New flight services also boosted volumes, such as the twice-weekly Wizz Air service to Kiev (Kyiv).
With 78,980 take-offs and landings, the number of aircraft movements at Leipzig/Halle Airport fell by 0.3 percent compared with last year.
New cargo handling record for 15th time in succession
Air cargo volumes at Leipzig/Halle Airport, Europe’s fifth largest cargo hub, increased to 1,238,343 tonnes in 2019, representing year-on-year growth of 1.4 percent.
Dresden Airport
Passenger volumes at Dresden Airport were 9.3 percent down on the previous year, at 1,598,784 passengers. The decline is due to the insolvency of Germania, which was flying as many as one in five passengers at Dresden in 2018.
Gaps in services to popular holiday destinations were quickly filled by airlines such as Sundair, Corendon Airlines and Lauda. Passenger numbers for Palma de Mallorca, Hurghada and the Greek islands were up compared with last year, and scheduled and low-cost services saw considerable growth in passenger numbers in 2019.
With 28,583 take-offs and landings, aircraft movements were 5.6 percent down on last year.
Mitteldeutsche Airport Holding
Mitteldeutsche Airport Holding is the umbrella brand of Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG, a company operated by the public sector. Three subsidiaries belong to the Group – Leipzig/Halle Airport, Dresden International Airport and PortGround.
Leipzig/Halle Airport handled more than 2.62 million passengers and approx. 1.24 million tonnes of air freight in 2019. This makes it the second largest cargo airport in Germany. The airport is linked to the A 9 and A 14 motorways and has a railway station that forms part of the central terminal. This makes it very easy for passengers from Central Germany to reach the airport.
Approx. 1.6 million passengers passed through Dresden International Airport in 2019. Its link to the A 4 motorway and its local railway station ensure that people living in Saxony, south Brandenburg, the north of the Czech Republic and Lower Silesia can travel to and from the airport with ease.
PortGround provides ground handling, freight and other extensive services at Leipzig/Halle and Dresden Airports round the clock.
