NRW airports Düsseldorf, Cologne and Weeze optimistic despite Corona
The recovery was already evident this autumn
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Despite Corona, NRW airports are optimistic about 2022
During the autumn break, it was pretty full at the most important airport in North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf.
Photo: dpa / Roland Weihrauch
Dusseldorf The fact that people want to travel again became apparent in the autumn of this year, whereas the year started with a broad lockdown. For airports, you expect an easy start in 2022, but then all the more travelers.
The NRW airports in Düsseldorf, Cologne-Bonn and Weeze are expecting a significant upturn next year, although the current corona wave is significantly lowering the mood. The companies explain this on request. Thomas Schnalke, head of the nation’s largest airport, Düsseldorf, says: “We expect around 17 million passengers at our location for the entire year, which corresponds to almost 70 percent of the pre-crisis year 2019.” Throughout 2021, traffic was around 30 im until the end of October Compared to 2019. In the autumn of this year, however, the passenger numbers recovered significantly: At times they reached more than half the value of the pre-crisis year, and many travelers came to the airports during the NRW autumn vacation. Schnalke anticipates that it will be tough at the beginning of 2022, the number of travelers will likely increase significantly in the second quarter: “Düsseldorf Airport is basically looking ahead to the year 2022, because people’s desire to travel is unbroken.”
Johan Vanneste, Head of the NRW Airport Cologne-Bonn, sees the situation in a similar way: “We are assuming that we will see a further recovery in 2022 and that the traffic figures will increase.”
In Weeze, airport boss Sebastian Papst says that by 2022 he is hoping for 70 to 80 percent of the 2019 level. There is a lot of catching up to do with travel, as it was already shown in autumn: practically as many people flew on vacation from Weeze as in 2019. Pope: “Relaxation vacations and visiting families and friends are generally very popular.”
At the federal level, the Airport Association ADV predicts that the number of passengers will more than double in 2022 compared to this year. This year, passengers had reached a third of the level from 2019, and more than 70 percent can be expected in 2022.