Airport News

Copenhagen Airport (CPH) has presented its vision for expansion today, aimed at handling up to 40 million passengers annually – almost twice the current number.

A prerequisite for the company's plan outlined in Expanding CPH, which looks 25 years into the future, is that companies, organisations, municipalities and the region are able to attract future business investment and tourists in greater numbers.

The vision includes expanding Pier B and Pier C, joining terminals together, creating more business opportunities for the community, providing more space for very large aircraft by expanding the runway system and constructing a new Pier E.

It also includes construction of a station for high-speed trains to bring travellers from both Oslo and Hamburg, and creation of a new arrival experience by changing the arrivals area for more large baggage conveyors.

More space could also be developed for ‘extraordinary experiences’ for passengers, by expanding the shopping area to create open zones in a casual Danish atmosphere.

Copenhagen Airport, CEO, Thomas Woldbye, says: “Our growth vision, Expanding CPH, is to prepare ourselves to handle almost twice as many passengers as we do today when it becomes necessary: between 24 million and 40 million passengers per year.

“And it is not only that a bigger airport will be better for the region, it's actually a necessity if we want to ensure Copenhagen Airport will continue to be the strongest hub in northern Europe, also in the future.”

Unlike many of its competitors on the European continent, Copenhagen Airport is not planning on building a new, separate terminal.

The plan is to increase the capacity of the existing terminal complex as part of a phased process.

Woldbye, added: “In my opinion, building new, separate terminals is not an optimal solution. A phased expansion offers several advantages.

“18 months of analysis work has shown us that, with this approach, we can avoid building excess capacity Secondly, it allows us to keep the airport's compact layout 'under one roof', which is important.

“Thirdly, a phased expansion allows us to adjust our process to match the increase in traffic and lets us make use of the latest technology.”

CPH has a workforce of 23,000, but it says 40 million passengers a year, would mean creating more jobs and it says it could generate 16,000 new jobs and a further 8,000 outside the airport.

Woldbye says: “We have presented a vision for the expansion of Copenhagen Airport, and we can and must build the capacity required to handle 40 million passengers a year. But our plan can only be realised if all the relevant parties in the region collaborate.

"If everyone pulls together, we can also lay the foundation for 40 million travellers in this region over the next two to three decades.”