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March 7, 2025

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March 7, 2025

Leav Aviation offers carnivalists special flights to Mallorca

Belinda Borg March 7, 2025 10:45

The Cologne-based airline Leav Aviation is offering a special connection to Mallorca during the Easter holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. On three dates in April 2025, the airline will offer flights from Cologne/Bonn Airport to the Balearic island. Leav Aviation is staying true to a carnival tradition: the planes take off at 11:11 a.m. The departure time, which is considered a symbol of carnival, was already very popular last year. Many travelers from the Rhineland carnival strongholds of Cologne, Mainz and Düsseldorf took advantage of the offer. Managing Director Daniel Broda emphasized that the flight times were deliberately chosen to offer carnival-goers a special travel option. Leav Aviation is a relatively young airline based in Cologne. Since its founding, it has focused on charter and scheduled flights from Cologne/Bonn Airport. The Mallorca flights during the Easter holidays are intended to expand the airline's route network and appeal to new target groups.

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Weak start to the year at German airports

Belinda Borg March 7, 2025 10:30

In January 2025, German airports recorded 12,54 million passengers, a decrease of almost 2,2 million travelers compared to the previous month of December. This corresponds to a recovery to 79,1% of the pre-crisis level of 2019. Compared to January 2019, 20,9% of travelers are still missing. Domestic German air traffic recorded 2025 million passengers in January 1,5, a decrease of 241.000 travelers compared to the previous month of December. Compared to January 2024, this corresponds to a decrease of 7,5%. Compared to January 2019, more than half of the passengers are still missing (-54,9%). In European traffic, 7,88 million passengers were counted in January. Compared to the previous month of December, passenger volume fell drastically at -17,4%, which corresponds to around 1,6 million passengers. Compared to January 2024, growth is still 2,9%. The recovery rate compared to 2019 is down by 85%. With more than 3,13 million passengers, intercontinental demand also recorded a decline of around 302.000 passengers compared to December. However, compared to the same month last year (January 2024), this market segment grew by 5,6%. Compared to January 2019, the recovery rate is 97,3% of passengers. Air freight volume: Slight decline in January Cargo volume totaled 366.809 tonnes. Compared to January 2024, this is a decrease of 1,6% (compared to January 2019: -3,8%). Invitations reached 182.627 tonnes in January, a decrease of 4,6% compared to 2024 and 5,1% compared to 2019. Unloadings grew by 1,6% to 184.182 tonnes, but are 2019% lower than in 2,6. Long-term development: Annual balance 2024 In the whole of 2024, the 22 German main airports counted around 199,5 million passengers. This corresponds to an increase

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Lufthansa uses leased Airbus A220-300 from Air Baltic from Munich

Stephen Steiner March 7, 2025 10:09

Lufthansa will use leased Airbus A2025-220s from Air Baltic in the 300 summer flight schedule. The aircraft will operate mainly from Munich from March 30 to October 25. As the aviation portal "Aeroroutes" reports, the airline is planning a total of 17 connections with this aircraft type. The planned destinations include Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Tallinn. The cooperation with Air Baltic enables Lufthansa to flexibly expand its fleet and provide additional capacity for routes with high demand. The Airbus A220-300s are characterized by their range and cost-effectiveness and are already used by several European airlines. Lufthansa regularly uses leased aircraft to bridge short-term capacity bottlenecks. The choice of the A220-300 indicates that the airline wants to further diversify its fleet. The exact number of leased aircraft and additional routes could be announced in the coming weeks.

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Construction work at Deutsche Bahn: Restrictions on the S1 to Hamburg Airport

Stephen Steiner March 7, 2025 09:41

There will be significant restrictions on rail traffic during the Hamburg school holidays from March 8 to 22, 2025. Deutsche Bahn has announced extensive construction work, which will affect the S1 S-Bahn line, among other things. Travelers who want to reach Hamburg Airport by public transport will be particularly affected. The S1, which usually offers a direct connection to the airport, will be affected during this period. The Hamburg Transport Association (HVV) recommends using the U1 subway line to Ohlsdorf station as an alternative. From there, there are connections by bus and replacement services. The construction work is part of a larger modernization project by Deutsche Bahn, which aims to improve the infrastructure and reliability of Hamburg's S-Bahn network. Passengers should find out about the current connections and travel times before traveling to avoid delays.

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European regional airports in danger: debate about state aid comes to a head

Jan Gruber March 7, 2025 09:36

The economic future of many small and medium-sized airports in Europe is at stake. The European Union's current aid guidelines, which allow financial support for the operation of regional airports with fewer than three million passengers per year, are due to expire in 2027. This could have far-reaching consequences for the accessibility of many regions as well as for economic development. The European airport association ACI Europe has therefore called in a statement to the European Commission for these subsidies to continue to be made possible. Regional airports are an essential pillar of Europe's transport infrastructure. They connect remote areas with national and international economic centers, promote tourism and enable business travel. Especially in countries with large rural regions, such as France, Spain or Scandinavia, they are often the only fast connection to the outside world. But economically speaking, many of these airports are under pressure. The operating costs of an airport remain largely constant, regardless of the number of passengers. While large airports benefit from economies of scale and generate high revenues through fees and retail space, smaller airports often lack these opportunities. This means that many cannot operate profitably without government support. The impact of the withdrawal of operating aid If the EU were to withdraw subsidies for airports with fewer than three million passengers per year, this could have drastic consequences. Rural areas and structurally weak regions would be particularly affected. Many of these airports are heavily dependent on low-cost airlines, which, however, are suffering from rising costs and could withdraw. A reduction in flight connections would not only have negative economic consequences for the respective regions, but could also lead to

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Kai Wegner calls for reduction of air traffic fees

Jan Gruber March 7, 2025 09:04

Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) is calling for a significant reduction in air traffic tax and security fees in Germany. At the international tourism trade fair ITB in Berlin, he criticized the current cost structure at German airports as uncompetitive. He spoke of a "misguided airport policy" in recent years and called for air traffic to be given greater consideration in economic policy decisions. Wegner emphasized that Germany charges significantly higher taxes on the aviation industry compared to other countries. This is putting the location in economic difficulties, while other European countries have recovered more quickly after the Corona crisis. In response, Berlin has already introduced a Federal Council initiative to reduce the fees to European levels. He expressed confidence that the CDU, CSU and SPD could find a common solution in the upcoming coalition negotiations. The Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry (BDL) supports Wegner's demand and points out that the burdens on airlines and airports are too high compared to other countries. Representatives of the aviation industry have also pointed out several times in the past that the high fees are affecting the competitiveness of German airports. The debate about the future of air transport in Germany is therefore likely to gain momentum.

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Airports in Austria record strong passenger growth – but Klagenfurt sees decline

Jan Gruber March 7, 2025 08:31

The Austrian aviation industry has continued to grow in 2024. A total of 35,5 million passengers were handled at the country's six major airports, an increase of 7 percent compared to the previous year. According to the latest figures from Statistics Austria, this corresponds to the second highest passenger volume in the history of Austrian airports. However, the increase is not evenly distributed across all airports: While Vienna, Salzburg and Graz airports in particular recorded significant increases, Klagenfurt Airport suffered a decline in the number of passengers. The Austrian aviation industry continues to be robust in 2024. The 35,5 million passengers handled at the country's airports last year represents a new milestone. The increase of 7 percent represents a significant increase compared to 2023 and is just below the all-time high of 2019, when 36,5 million passengers were handled. Tobias Thomas, Director General of Statistics Austria, speaks of a "high-flying" industry, which is also reflected in the air freight figures. With an increase of 18 percent, this recorded a new record of 257.850 tons, which underlines the high demand and economic growth in international air traffic. Vienna Airport in particular is benefiting from this increase. With 31,7 million passengers in 2024, the airport achieved the highest number of passengers since records began. This corresponds to an increase of 7,4 percent compared to 2023. Salzburg Airport also recorded an increase of 10,7 percent, reaching 1,8 million passengers transported. Graz Airport experienced

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Volocopter lays off entire workforce – future uncertain

Amely Mizzi March 7, 2025 08:06

The insolvent flying taxi manufacturer Volocopter from Bruchsal has laid off all of its employees. This was confirmed by a company spokeswoman after an internal staff meeting. Around 450 employees are affected. The company's financial difficulties have recently worsened, while negotiations with potential investors have not yet been concluded. The Karlsruhe District Court opened insolvency proceedings on Saturday. Originally, insolvency administrator Tobias Wahl had announced that he would draw up a restructuring plan by the end of February and implement it with potential investors. However, it remains unclear whether there is a future for Volocopter. The continuation of business operations depends crucially on a successful search for investors. A key problem for the company remains the lack of type approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which would be required for regular passenger operations. Volocopter had set itself the goal of establishing a new form of mobility in urban centers with its vertical take-off and landing, fully electric aircraft. However, economic pressure and regulatory hurdles pose major challenges for the company.

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Construction of the new airport terminal in Salzburg is delayed due to unresolved environmental problems

Belinda Borg March 7, 2025 07:39

Salzburg Airport, a major transport hub in western Austria, is facing an unexpected delay in the planned new construction of its terminal. A key reason for the delay is an environmental problem that has not yet been definitively resolved. The problem is soil near the airport that is contaminated with firefighting foam. A legal framework to deal with this problem is currently lacking, which is significantly slowing down progress in the construction work. The airport, which records high passenger numbers particularly in the winter months due to increasing charter traffic, is currently operated from a building complex dating to the 1960s. Although the technical equipment and infrastructure are state-of-the-art, the airport is increasingly reaching its physical limits. This particularly affects the spatial capacity of the old terminal, which was not originally designed for today's requirements of a modern airport. Technical limits in the old building Last weekend, Salzburg Airport experienced a rush of around 27.000 passengers being processed. This figure illustrates the high volume of traffic that the airport has to cope with in the winter season. But the rush is being handled in a terminal that is not only reaching its spatial capacity limits, but is also struggling with structural challenges. "We are running out of space underground," said Alexander Klaus, spokesman for the airport, in an interview. This means that the infrastructure of the old building can no longer meet the requirements of a modern airport. The airport's technology may be state-of-the-art, but the physical conditions, such as the limited space in the terminal and the

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LOT Polish Airlines is considering a new base in Chişinău

Jan Gruber March 7, 2025 07:09

The Polish airline LOT Polish Airlines is considering opening an operational base in the Moldovan capital Chişinău, according to talks between airline representatives and Moldovan government officials. The aim of the possible expansion is to improve air connections between Moldova and Poland and to strengthen economic cooperation. As part of the exploration, LOT representatives recently visited Mărculeşti Airport to assess the potential for passenger and cargo flights. Moldova is increasing its efforts to diversify its international flight routes in order to both improve connections to European markets and stimulate investment in the aviation sector. Officials in Chişinău stressed the importance of expanded mobility options for citizens and companies. A possible new LOT base would strengthen the Moldovan aviation market and further deepen economic cooperation between the two countries. Further developments on this matter are expected in the coming months.

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