History

2006: A particularly successful year

2006 will go down in the annals of Hamburg Airport as being a particularly successful year. The number of passengers breaks the 11 million barrier for the first time. This year a total of 11,954,040 passengers use the airport, representing an increase of 12 percent. In addition to numerous new services the reason for this extraordinary growth lies in the use of larger aircraft and better utilisation of capacity.

Air cargo also sees substantial growth. This year Hamburg Airport reports growth of around 3.2 percent to 77,600 tonnes of cargo, while also providing new air cargo capacity. The P6 passenger car park is closed in September and converted into a lorry park for the freight centre. The closure is offset by the creation of 1,200 new parking spaces directly adjacent to the terminals.
Cheap flights from Hamburg Airport to destinations all over the world have never before been so attractive. 25 percent of passengers are already taking advantage of the cheap tariffs offered by low-cost carriers. The range of flight services on offer includes some 100 destinations for under 100 euros. The established airlines are also flying Hamburg’s passengers to holiday or business destinations for very little cash. Visitors to Hamburg Airport’s website can identify all the cheap destinations via the new “Preiswert ab Hamburg” portal.

In order to be able to begin building of the Airport Plaza between Terminals 1 and 2 the 25 year old Terminal 3 has to go. Demolition work is finished at the end of March and is the starting signal for construction of the Airport Plaza. The construction project is officially commenced with a groundbreaking ceremony in May; the foundation stone is laid in August.

The FIFA Football World Cup in the summer sees the outbreak of football fever in Germany – and at Hamburg Airport. A “Blue Goal” shines from the roof of the Lilienthalhaus building; the 10th goal and a demonstration of the City of Hamburg’s commitment to this major sporting event. Numerous events for football fans make for a World Cup atmosphere at the airport.

Four new long-haul services also bring the world closer to Hamburg this year. Passengers to Hamburg Airport now only have to make one stopover to reach the world’s most important cities. In addition to the existing Continental Airlines service to New York and the transat service to Toronto, from 1st March Emirates offers a daily service to Dubai and, from 29th October, to New York (JFK).

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