Category : Allgemein

Ground-breaking ceremony: For the expansion of Memmingen Airport, Bavaria’s Prime Minister Dr. Markus Söder himself to the shovel.

Together with other guests of honor, he symbolically launched the expansion on Friday, 5th of October, to make Bavaria’s third commercial airport fit for the future. The Prime Minister emphasized: “The Allgäu Airport Memmingen is developing excellently, strengthening the economic and tourism area of Swabia and is a constant in Germany’s air traffic. A true success story of white-blue structural policy!”

At the center of the planned expansion are the renovation and extension (from 30m to 45m) of the runway, which is carried out by the Memminger company Kutter. In addition there are the replacement of the airport lights, the optimization of the instrument landing system and an expansion of the luggage hall. Work on the rehabilitation and extension of the runway will begin in spring of 2019. All work will be completed in 2020.

From October 29 with Ryanair from Memmingen to Israel

It was once a popular destination in the early years of Memmingen Airport. Now it returns back to the flight plan: The Israeli city of Tel Aviv can be visited from 29 October twice a week with Ryanair from Memmingen.

The always exciting travel destination Israel brings the new non-stop connection from Ryanair to Tel Aviv a bit closer to all passengers from southern Germany and neighboring countries. Tel Aviv offers a youthful, casual atmosphere with lots of sun, beach and party. The Bauhaus-style white city, the largest settlement of its kind in the world, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003. Jerusalem which is only one hour’s drive away offers a contrast between tradition and history. Classic tours of Israel usually include a visit to Jerusalem, visit to the Church of the Nativity and the Grotto in Bethlehem leading to the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea.
“Tel Aviv is another highlight in our new winter timetable,” says Marcel Schütz, Sales Manager at Memmingen Airport. “It’s the eighth new destination we can present.” Ryanair also offers Tel Aviv, Marrakech, Lviv, Brindisi, Banja Luka and Edinburgh. For the first time Wizz Air flies from Memmingen to Pristina in Kosovo and Chişinău, capital of Moldova.

The flight will be from Memmingen to Tel Aviv from 29th of October on Monday and Friday. Departure time in Memmingen is at 6:05, arriving in Tel Aviv at 11:10. The return flight starts at 12 o’clock and reaches Memmingen at 15.05 o’clock.

Passenger numbers have already increased by 33 percent this year

Last year it lasted until the 4th of November and now it has already been completed two months earlier: today, Wednesday (5.9.), the millionth passenger was registered at Memmingen Airport. Also in the first eight months of this year passenger numbers increased by 33 percent.

Exactly one year ago Ryanair stationed a plane on site. This meant the joy of the earlier than expected million mark which was reached yesterday. New destinations and high demand from passengers raised 33 percent. The success was especially evident over the summer holidays. In the last six weeks around 230.000 passengers have preferred Memmingen Airport. A plus compared to the same period last year of 32 percent. The annual target of 1.4 million passengers is not a long way off.

The attractive winter timetable which will arrive at the end of October will enable many new destinations to be established: Ryanair will offer Marrakech, Lviv, Brindisi, Banja Luka and Edinburgh. Wizz Air will fly from Memmingen to Pristina in Kosovo for the first time and to Chişinău, the capital of Moldova. In addition, the connection Memmingen-Moscow is again five times a week on the flight plans of the Russian airline Pobeda.

Also on and over Christmas the demand for flights over Memmingen is very large. Ryanair and Wizz Air have scheduled additional flights to Palermo, Malaga, Tenerife and Kiev among others. In addition you can already book your summer vacation to Antalya.

Memmingen Airport is in the black and was able to realize an annual net profit in the business year 2017 due to continuously rising passenger numbers and the debt relief of the company.

With 1,179,875 passengers and an increase of 18.37 percent to the previous year, Memmingen Airport broke its record in 2017. This also had a positive impact on the balance of the Flughafen Memmingen GmbH. In their first year of business they achieved revenue of 11.6 Mio Euro and a profit of 111,280 Euro. “We already generated positive numbers in the previous years, but they were consumed by the debt of the starting years”, explains Managing Director Ralf Schmid. That situation changed when the airport became debt free thanks to a restructuring of the organization and the engagement of shareholders, communes and regional authorities. “This result also shows that the recently taken steps were successful.” Says Thilo Butzbach, chairman of the supervisory board of the Flughafen Memmingen GmbH. The fact that the newly built own companies, responsible for the airports real estate, work with profit, emphasizes that taken path was the right one, according to Butzbach. Thanks go to the engaged airport team, as well as the shareholders and new partners.

Memmingen Airport employed 102 staff members in 2017, the subcompany Allgate GmbH, responsible for passenger handling and duty free shop hold 48 employees.  Losch Airport Service Allgäu GmbH, a 40 percent airport subsidiary taking care of the aircraft ground handling, counted 19 employees. 35 new jobs were created as a result of the opening of a Ryanair base in Memmingen. Also police, custom office and travel agencies opened new positions as well as the security company SGMM (Sicherheits-Gesellschaft Memmingen). Memmingen airport proved itself as job engine in the last eleven year with about 1,700 jobs at the airport and on the airport area at third part companies.

2 Millonth Wizz Air passenger arrives at Memmingen Airport

A huge surprise waited for Martine Pedersen when she got off her plane from Sibiu to Memmingen. The 23 year old student from Austria happened to be the 2 Millionth passenger to arrive in Memmingen with the airline Wizz Air, after 9 years of operating at the Bavarian airport.

Andras Rado, Corporate Communications Manager of Wizz Air, was happy to celebrate the milestone and thanked the German passengers for their loyalty during the last nine years. Wizz Air is the largest Low Cost Airline in Central and Eastern Europe and is growing rapidly with on overall of 104 aircrafts and 44 destinations.

“Wizz Air and Memmingen Airport – it’s an absolute story of success.” says Ralf Schmid, Managing Director of Memmingen Airport. Because of the cooperation with the Hungarian Airline, the Airport developed to an important hub for nonstop and inexpensive flights to Eastern Europe in Southern Germany.

New Route to Pristina

Andras Rado also had a present for Ralf Schmid and the Airport: A new route to Pristina, capital of Kosovo. Beginning the 30^th of October, Wizz Air will connect Memmingen each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with the political and economic center of the country. Tickets available now on Wizzair.com.

Flowers for the 2 Millionth passenger: Andras Rado, Corporate Communications Manager of Wizz Air, and Sales Director of Memmingen Airport, Marcel Schütz, welcome student Martine Pedersen.

31.47 percent more passengers at mid-year

More than 30 percent more passengers during the first half-year of 2018! Memmingen Airport continues to grow double-digit, caused by new flights and again risen capacity utilization of the planes. The managers expect another plus for the second half of the year.

681.177 passengers have been counted at Memmingen Airport in the first six months of 2018. This represents an increase of 31.47 percent to the previous year with 518.138 passengers. “Almost a third more passengers, that is a huge step up”, declares Airport Managing Director Ralf Schmid. “Responsible is an amazing accomplishment of our entire team and the fact, that our offer is well received.” It has been extended by four connections to Burgas, Zadar, Athens and Katowice. Once more noticeable grown has the already high capacity utilization of the airplanes, to a very good average of 86.58 percent, which makes 160 passengers per flight. “The higher the utilization of an aircraft, the smaller is the emission per passenger and flight”, explains Schmid by emphasizing the environmental aspect of the pleasing number.

Many passengers in the air mean a high demand on the ground as well. On peek days during the first half-year with 7,000 passengers, when it were 5,000 in past years. These numbers could have been even higher, if there wouldn’t have been strikes and capacity shortage with air traffic control.

For the second half of 2018 another increase is expected. Managing Director Ralf Schmid thinks a total of 1.4 Mio passengers in 2018 is presumable. “Especially because the upcoming winter flight plan promises further attractive destinations” he says.  Soon flights will take off to Marrakesh, Brindisi and Edinburgh. In Eastern Europe Lviv, Banja Luka and Chisinau, capital of Moldovia, are added to the timetable. Within a short time the route to Antalya will start, and since last week flights leave to Egyptian beach destination Hurghada.  The top destinations with most passengers are currently London, Sofia, Kiev and Palma de Mallorca.

Wizz Air flights twice a week to Chisinau.

Anyone who wants to fly from Southern Germany to Eastern Europe is just right at Memmingen airport, as the airport offers over 21 Eastern European destinations. By December there is one more: Chisinau, capital of Moldovia.

The capital with about 530.000 citizens is the center of economy, education and culture. Starting on the 15^th of December Wizz Air will connect Memmingen and Moldovia twice a week, on Tuesday and Saturday. The international airport of Chisinau is located 15km from the city center. “Various relationships between Eastern Europe and Southern Germany may profit from another nonstop route.” Says Sales Director Marcel Schütz. “Many young people use these flights to experience East and West of Europe.”

The republic boarders west on Rumania and is surrounded by the Ukraine in the North, East and South. From a touristic perspective there is still a lot to discover in Moldovia. Tickets are available now.

Book flights to Chisinau

FTI started their new Egypt offer from Memmingen.

Many passengers looked forward to warm temperatures, sunshine and the beach when they boarded the first flight to Hurghada in Egypt with tour operator FTI.

Beach tourist can be excited about the continuously growing offer of sun destination from Memmingen. Hurghada perfectly adds up to the popular destinations around the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and on the Canaries. Once a week on Monday FlyEgypt flies for FTI nonstop to the touristic Hotspot at the Red Sea. “We are very pleased that Europe’s fourth largest tour operator decided for Memmingen Airport” tells Sales Director Marcel Schütz. Until October 22^nd tourist can enjoy the huge number of activities, like skin-diving, Kiteboarding, golf, wellness or shopping in one of the many resorts.

FTI is known to be an expert for Egypt trips and has one of the most extensive offers for years now. Booking possible on www.fti.de, sonnenklar.tv, or in your travel agency.

FMM to HRG. Sales Director Marcel Schütz and colleague Julia Baumann welcome the first flight in a matching beach look, while the airplane enters through a water christening.

First flight to Silesia by Wizz Air

Poland has been on the wish list for a while and now there are two destinations from Memmingen to the neighbor country, as the first flight to Katowice took off today (Wed June 20^th).

Warsaw is listed on the timetable in Memmingen since October 2017 and now Wizz Air added Katowice to their offer. Four times a week – Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday – a plane leaves towards the 300.000 citizen city in Silesia. Situated about 300 km southwest from Warsaw, Katowice is one of the most important industrial locations of Poland and many regional companies have branches there. It used to be mining and heavy industry that were the focus of the area; now services and IT are the dominating industries.
“Katowice is an ideal match to our offer in Eastern Europe” said Sales Director Marcel Schütz, who welcomed the crew. “There is rarely any other airport in Southern Germany with a wide range of Eastern Europe destinations comparable with ours”.
Many historic and private relations between Silesia and the Southwest of Germany may be maintained with this new route. The connection is also important for touristic and business matters as Katowice is just an hour distant to the famous Krakow.

A welcome from the heart. Franziska Spannagel and Macel Schütz welcome the crew of the first flight to Katowice with a ginger bread heart.

34.6 percent more passenger to the prior year.

Once more Memmingen Airport proofed itself as ideal starting point for a successful vacation. With an overall capacity utilization of 90.3 percent during the Pentecost holidays in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, 34.6 percent more passengers than in the year 2017 took off to popular beach destinations and city trips.

When in the past year 53.281 flight passengers used the wide offer of destinations around the holidays, the number went up to 71.733 in 2018 – a rise of 34.6 percent. City trips to London, Kiev and Sibiu were just as popular as the sunny destinations Malaga, Tenerife, Palermo and Palma, that had a workload of over 95 percent. The flight plan of Memmingen has also been much enhanced by the new summer routes to the Bulgarian black sea destinations Burgas and Varna, Zadar in Croatia and the Greek capital Athens.

“Our offer is simply right and attracts not only regular guests from southern Germany and the bordering countries.” Say Sales Director Marcel Schütz happily about the rise. “With Hurghada in Egypt, polish Katowice and the currently announced flight to Antalya by Corendon Airlines, we have even more attractive destinations coming up for the summer break and after.”

Besides the attractive offer, low-priced parking and short ways at the airport contributed to the rise of demand.