March 28, 2020, 9:00 a.m.
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The airports in German-speaking countries react to the flight cancellations in the Corona crisis with sometimes drastic restrictions. The measures range from short-time work to the termination of passenger handling.
© dpa
/ Rick Bowmer / AP
Air traffic is currently coming to a standstill due to stricter entry regulations and a sharp decline in demand due to the corona pandemic. At the airports, the terminals are as empty as the shelves in the supermarket, the airport association ADV sums it up.
From the association’s perspective, it is now necessary to maintain minimum connectivity with the airlines. The priority is on the return flights, which are currently still running for around two weeks, as well as the maintenance of the logistics chains and the supply of essential goods.
# COVID19 Airport update for 25th March. All the major airports very quiet now, with Barcelona down 90% on the equivalent day in 2019, Warsaw -87% Rome -86% and Tel Aviv -84% @Transport_EU @ACI_EUROPE @ A4Europe @IATA pic.twitter.com/HQ3VjDptJ7
– Eamonn Brennan (@eurocontrolDG) March 26, 2020
Airport operators worldwide are now struggling with the consequences of flight settings. The corona crisis is also forcing German airports to take drastic austerity measures, the airport association says. However, the drop in revenue cannot simply be offset by savings. The vast majority of airport costs are fixed costs, especially capital costs.
However, the association said on airliners.de request that the ADV member airports would not be completely closed. The economic situation of the airports is getting worse from week to week. In order to maintain operations, the locations now needed liquidity quickly: “Politicians must now take measures to stabilize the economic situation of airports.”
Restricted duty to operate at many locations
Many airports have already reacted and taken drastic measures in some cases. Dortmund Airport has submitted an application for a temporary exemption from the operating obligation. The Münster district government approved this today. From April 1 to April 30, aircraft can only take off and land within the operating hours from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and only after prior approval by the airport.
At Bremen Airport, too, all airlines have canceled their scheduled flights from the program and canceled them by at least April 19. Therefore, passenger handling is no longer taking place, it said. But you can always react to the resumption of flights. The operability of the airport was ensured at all times.
Commercial airports have a duty to operate. She looks Section 45 LuftVZO plan to keep the airport in a safe operating condition and to operate it properly. Only the responsible licensing authority can exempt the airports from the operating obligation.
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Traffic at Stuttgart Airport is currently less than ten percent of the usual volume for the season. In addition to the remaining scheduled traffic, the focus is currently on night airmail, freight, military, emergency and rescue flights, it says. In Nuremberg, tourist and scheduled flight operations are also almost at a standstill, now all expenses are being checked.
In some places there is still a lot of freight operations
The Central German airports have also launched a catalog of measures to deal with the Corona crisis, after virtually all scheduled flight connections with passenger aircraft were discontinued. The main component in Leipzig / Halle and Dresden are changed operating times, as the AG announced on Thursday. In Leipzig, however, freight still plays a major role.
Due to the worldwide travel restrictions, only a few passenger aircraft start at Hahn Airport. The top dog at Hahn, Europe’s largest low-cost airline Ryanair, has stopped all flights for at least two months because of the corona pandemic. Here, too, the cargo is a ray of hope: business is picking up because so many passenger flights with extra cargo have been canceled worldwide.
At Saarbrücken Airport there is currently a flight connection to Berlin-Tegel with Danish Air Transport (DAT) every day except Saturdays. All other connections are set. So Saarbrücken is currently still in good shape. A number of smaller airports have already ceased regular operations.
Rostock Airport, for example, had already announced the termination of scheduled flight handling last week. The same applies to Weeze, where Ryanair ceased operating all scheduled flights since the middle of the week. A so-called PPR regulation (Prior Permission required) was in coordination with the approval authority. Until further notice, flight movements such as alternate landings, organ transports or business jets will only take place after prior notification.
At the second largest airport in North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne / Bonn, only about five percent of the passenger flights customary in March are currently taking place. The cargo flights were also in full swing here, it said. Management and employee representatives are now advising on the introduction of short-time work.
Operators and service providers rely on short-time work
Short-time work is currently an issue at most locations. During the Corona crisis, the instrument can also be used by public service companies, including many airports and their companies. In the case of short-time work, the state pays part of the earnings and pays social security contributions.
Münster / Osnabrück Airport also sent all employees, both operational and administrative, on a short-time basis. Most of the employees at Bodensee-Airport Friedrichshafen are now on short-time work.
On Tuesday, Memmingen Airport was the first airport in Germany to apply for short-time work for its approximately 160 employees. The decision was made in consultation with the works council and the supervisory board, the airport said.
The flight settings do not only affect the operating companies. Numerous subsidiaries and third-party providers, such as those of the ground handling service providers, are also affected. The groundhandler AHS, who is active at many airports, is currently worried about survival.
Travel restrictions due to the corona pandemic are also affecting traffic in the larger locations. The deletions of the airlines in Frankfurt and Munich have caused the number of passengers to drop, which is why the large locations are also opting for short-time work.
Passenger burglaries also at major airports
At Frankfurt Airport, the number of passengers in the twelfth calendar week (March 16 to 22) dropped by almost 74 percent to around 331,000. The freight volume also fell by around a fifth to almost 37,000 tons, as the company announced. The number of flight movements dropped by around 58 percent to less than 4,000.
The northwest runway at the airport is temporarily out of service and is used to park aircraft. Areas in the terminals have been gradually decommissioned since mid-March. In Terminal 1, gates A26 to A40 are out of service and all gates in area C are temporarily closed. There are also closures in Terminal 2. The skyline continues between the terminals, but does not stop at Pier C.
The crisis also affects Germany’s second largest airport. This week the number of take-offs and landings “did not even reach ten percent of the previous year’s level,” said Munich Airport. The passenger volume was around five percent. However, operations would be maintained for returnees to Germany and for important freight goods.
Parts of the terminals that are not required are now also temporarily closed in Munich. As the airport announced, this affects areas A, B and D of Terminal 1 and the satellite building belonging to Terminal 2.
In Berlin, the number of passengers in the Corona crisis collapsed by around 90 percent. There are a total of around 100 take-offs and landings per day. In the Berlin Senate, there are therefore considerations to temporarily close Tegel Airport. An application for this has not yet been made to the Berlin Aviation Authority, as the Senate Traffic Administration announced.
At the fourth largest German aviation location in Düsseldorf, there are currently only about 20 percent of the flights customary for this season. Terminals B and C are closed and all air traffic is handled via the southern runway. Because the traffic after the return flights for tourists will almost come to a standstill in the coming weeks, according to the operating company, the airport has now also applied for short-time work for its approximately 2,300 employees – right up to the end of the year.
Situation in Austria and Switzerland
In Austria and Switzerland too, the airports are at least partially closed for regular operations.
Zurich Airport closes Arrivals Hall 1. Terminal 2 remains open to a limited extent. Vienna Airport reacts similarly. The handling of scheduled flights will be concentrated in Terminal 3 for the coming weeks. The other areas of the airport will be temporarily closed.
Salzburg Airport is slowing its operations down to zero. As of next week, Austria’s second largest airport will only operate in one shift, i.e. with a daily operating time of six hours. On the first weekend in April, it will probably be completely switched to standby.
Innsbruck Airport will cease commercial operations for a full three months during the Corona crisis.
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