The effects of the corona pandemic are also clearly noticeable in the number of passengers at Stuttgart-Echterdingen Airport. The largest airport in the German state of Baden-Württemberg recorded a 2020 percent decline in the first half of 68,2.

The number of flight movements fell by 59,2 percent to 24.763 take-offs and loads. During the height of the crisis, the airport carried out the partial renovation of the only runway ahead of schedule. As a result, the airport was completely closed for 17 days, but due to the fact that almost all airlines had stopped their traffic, the effect of the temporary closure of the airport was almost imperceptible.

“After the partial renovation of our runway was completed in mid-June, the full length of the runway is available again, but air traffic is only slowly picking up again. We are still in a difficult situation. We have had to maintain our entire infrastructure for months, with little traffic and minimal income. The costs for this amount to around 6,8 million euros per month, ”said Stuttgart managing director Walter Schoefer.

“We have bottomed out, supply and demand are increasing again significantly. Our market in Baden-Württemberg is still strong. Many airlines are now restarting their flight program. The process will still drag on. Forecasts are still difficult - we expect around 3 million passengers by the end of the year. Despite this development, we are financially stable, ”adds Co-Managing Director Arina Freitag.