Hamburg Airport: Soaring Above the Second Division... But No Transatlantic Trip to NYC Just Yet
Hamburg airport flourishes in the lower league of airports. - Hamburg Airport Manages to Climb up in the Second Tier
The Senate marks Hamburg Airport as a success story – even without transatlantic destinations like New York. After the pandemic crash, the airport anticipates a recovery of 85% compared to the pre-pandemic year 2019 and ranked third among German airports, according to the Senate's response to a written request from the CDU parliamentary group.
Despite the accolade, Michael Becken, the CDU's spokesperson for Europe and international affairs, scoffs at the Red-Green Coalition's supposed lack of ambition and warns against letting the airport become a "provincial airport."
Flights to Doha add some spice to the lineup
With around 120 destinations, Hamburg Airport Helmut Schmidt is back at the 2019 level regarding destinations served. The Senate boasts that in terms of direct long-haul connections, Hamburg Airport has even reached 125% of the pre-pandemic passenger volume.
Long-haul flights typically equate to distances of 3,500 kilometers or more, such as the ones to Hurghada or the Canary Islands, both directly served from Hamburg. The longest direct flights from Hamburg lead to Dubai and Doha in United Arab Emirates, the international hubs of Emirates and Qatar Airways, respectively. Qatar has been operating daily non-stop flights to Doha for almost a year, and the Senate predicts that this will "further improve international connectivity by 2025."
Dreaming of a NYC reconnection
Nonetheless, desirable destinations in North and South America and Asia are missing from the Hamburg flight plan. These routes typically route through Doha to other major European airports and are unlikely to change in the foreseeable future, the Senate suggests.
While a revival of the non-stop connection to New York, which was discontinued in 2018, is under speculation, the current political climate and the imbalanced demand (predominantly from the northern German market) make it difficult to acquire such connections, which would only be operated by airlines from North America.
Pushing for better connections, but not with New York in sight
Hamburg is pushing for the liberalization of traffic rights at a federal level to better tap into future market opportunities for using the Airbus A321 XLR, a long-haul aircraft built in Finkenwerder, for transatlantic connections.
Airports like Hamburg, which cannot be hubs, rely heavily on "One-Stop-Connectivity" (the connection to national and international hubs from which flights to all parts of the world can be operated) for their location quality. According to the European airport association's latest ranking, Hamburg Airport holds a respectable 22nd place among 473 airports in Europe, outperforming some German competitors such as Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, and Cologne/Bonn [1].
The CDU Critiques Hamburg's Strategy
For Becken, the CDU faction member, it's evident: "The significance of the crucial Hamburg Airport is ignored by Red-Green." Neither the coalition agreement nor its strategic direction caters to the airport. "Even the long-term capacity expansion is neglected – a poor showing for the second-largest city of the third-largest economy in the world," he told the German Press Agency.
Instead of focusing on inner-city traffic, Traffic Senator Anjes Tjarks (Greens) should prioritize airports, argues Becken. "The Hamburg airport urgently needs support to maximize its potential and boost Hamburg's economy," he insisted.
Without direct transatlantic flights to New York and no plans for such services in the near future, compared to stronger long-haul connectivity at Germany's primary international hubs like Frankfurt and Munich, Hamburg's transatlantic reach remains limited [1][4].
In the context of the discussed airport expansion and partnerships, it is worth considering intensifying cooperation with developing countries, as many long-haul flights from Hamburg Airport lead to international hubs of countries like the United Arab Emirates. This could potentially open up opportunities for lifestyle travel to various destinations beyond, including countries in Asia and South America.
Moreover, since desirable destinations in North and South America and Asia are currently absent from Hamburg's flight plan, advocating for better connections and the liberalization of traffic rights could pave the way for an improved quality of living, made possible by wider travel options in the future.
