Category : Press

Romania continues to be one of the top destinations on the flight schedule of Memmingen Airport. A new route will be added at the end of October: The airline Wizz Air will then connect Memmingen with Bacău twice a week.

The 145,000-inhabitant city in northeastern Romania, the economic center of the Moldova region, is served on Tuesday and Saturday. Start is October 31st. Tickets from € 24.99 can already be booked. “Especially in times of the Corona crisis, we were able to maintain an important airlift between Romania and southern Germany,” emphasizes Airport Sales Manager Marcel Schütz. Urgent nursing staff and harvest workers were able to get to their workplaces and home quickly and safely. In the course of this week all previous Romanian destinations (Cluj-Napoca, Sibiu, Timisoara, Tirgu Mures and Suceava) will be flown to again. With Bacău, six destinations in Romania will be available at the start of the winter flight schedule.

16.06.2020 | Memmingen Airport

The worldwide corona crisis does not leave Memmingen airport untouched. Air traffic are initially restricted, short-time working has been requested. However, there is confidence that the turbulence can be mastered.  

After more and more countries introduced entry stops, airlines flying to Memmingen also were prompted to temporarily suspend flights. „We are currently offering a restricted flight schedule to enable passengers, in particular, to travel to their home countries, “says CEO Ralf Schmid. The situation is changing constantly. Over 50 destinations were planned so far. „Which of these can be realized and how”, says Schmid, “depends on the current development around the topic of corona. In any case, the airlines would reduce their capacities and the tour operators their programs in the next two months. Passengers who have booked flights or travel in the coming days and weeks are advised to check with the airline or tour operator about the current status. Information about entry controls and entry stops can be obtained from the State Department or the embassy of the country concerned.

Paper waste is also the forecast for the current business year, for which just a few weeks ago, almost two million passengers were expected at Memmingen Airport. However, the current crisis has no existential effects on the company. “Flughafen Memmingen GmbH is currently well positioned financially,” emphasizes Ralf Schmid, “in order to be able to cope with such an exceptional situation for some time.” Of course, in coordination with the works council and the supervisory board, the company reacted quickly and for Flughafen Memmingen GmbH and the subsidiary ALLgate GmbH, which together employ around 160 people, applied for short-time work. Planned investments are being put to the test, and the postponement of individual construction measures is being discussed. “But we are confident,” says Schmid, “that we will be able to survive this difficult situation for our entire society in the long term without damage.”

Thanks to above-average growth in 14th place

Memmingen Airport is one of the rising airport among the German airports. After a successful year, in which a new record number was reported, Bavaria’s third traffic airport climbed from the 17th to the 14th place in the national ranking.

During the last year the general trend between the 25th international acting airports in Germany with an average rise of passengers of 1.5 percent was restrained. However, Memmingen Airport caused a sensation with 1,722,764 passengers and an increase of 15.4 percent in comparison to the previous year. Only Dortmund could bring a bigger growth in this time. The tailwind in the number of passengers also led to an advance in the German ranking. “In 12 years from zero to fourteen is a very strong performance that the whole team can be very proud of”, emphasized Airport CEO Ralf Schmid. “With over 50 destinations in Europe, Asia and North Africa the airport offers attractive travel opportunities in many directions. In the ranking, the Allgäu Airport leaves known airports as Dresden, Frankfurt Hahn, Karlsruhe, Munster Osnabruck and Weeze behind.

“Of course we can’t always count on these rising numbers”, explained Ralf Schmid. “2020 won’t be an easy year”. On the one hand, the increase of the air traffic tax for airlines causes rising costs in Germany und lower growth compared to the other countries in Europe. On the other hand, the problem with the Boeing 737 Max, which mainly affected the airline Ryanair, also slow down further development. “Based on today’s knowledge we are heading towards the two million mark”, added the Airport CEO. However, it is still uncertain whether the mark will be reachable or even overcome. In order to be prepared for further growth, we are working constantly on the improvement of the infrastructure. This also includes the soon expansion of the baggage area and the further expansion of the instrument landing system.

From Memmingen to Amman and Lisbon for the first time

The forecast was ambitious – and still wrong. Memmingen Airport clearly exceeded their own self-imposed goal of 1,65 million passengers in the past year. Because in the past year, Memmingen Airport clearly exceeded its self-imposed goal of 1.65 million passengers. Despite the two-week complete closure in September, the airport recorded 1.72 million passengers, an increase of 15.4 percent compared to the previous year. This year they want to approach the two million mark.

One record followed the other: while those responsible counted a total of 1.492.553 passengers in the 2018 financial year, 1,722,764 passengers flew to and from Memmingen in the past twelve months. This corresponds to an increase of 15.4 percent over the previous year. Even though the airport was closed for two weeks in the second half of September due to the widening of its runway. “The year 2019 was a special challenge “, Airport Managing Director Ralf Schmid sums up. “More pleasant is the positive result which impressively shows the position that Memmingen Airport has now taken on in the region.” It has long been an indispensable part of the transport infrastructure. Eight airlines offered a total of 52 destinations in Europe, Asia and North Africa in the last year. Schmid especially compliments the airport team, who coped with the steady growth excellently and also handled the challenge of the renovation brilliantly. Schmid: “This success is your success! “

Those responsible do not want to rest on the laurels collected so far. They are targeting the two million mark for passengers for the current fiscal year 2020. “In order to achieve the goal, we have to make ourselves fit for growth “, explains Schmid. This also includes the extension of the baggage hall which is about to begin and the further expansion of the instrument landing system. “Demand is still there for airlines and passengers “, emphasizes the CEO. There are currently 55 destinations on the flight schedule this year. New is Gyumri in Armenia. The city near the Turkish border will be served by airline Ryanair twice a week from Memmingen on March 30. Connections to Rhodes and Heraklion on Crete with the airline Corendon are also new.

From Memmingen to Amman and Lisbon for the first time

What many theatres can’t handle, Memmingen Airport can: two premiers in only three days. And both are sold out! For the first time this morning the Ryanair flight to Amman departed. Last Sunday it was show time for the first flight to Lisbon.

With the Ryanair flight FR 6802 a new country increases the still growing map of destinations from Memmingen. From now on the capital of Jordan will be operated twice a week – on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Passengers on the four hours non-stop flight to Amman, mostly from the South of Germany, are going to visit Petra, a city in the south, build from red cliffs, as well as the desert Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea. “Jordan enlarges our offers for a touristic and culturist destination and fits perfectly to our two weekly flights to Tel Aviv in this region”, explains Aviation Director, Marcel Schütz.

For holiday makers, business travelers, as well as visitors of friends and family members, the second premier destination is from the same interest: the Portuguese capital Lisbon, which is reachable since Sunday twice a week from Memmingen. After Porto and Faro, Lisbon is the third city in Portugal operated from the Memmingen Airport. “With now five destinations on the Iberian Peninsula”, so Marcel Schütz, “we are offering a compact program, which opens up interesting combinations to travel.” This Friday (1st of November) the destination Hurghada in Egypt celebrates its winter premier. Therefore, flights are operating once a week from Memmingen to the holiday center at the Red Sea during the whole year.

A further new first flight is already established: From the 30th March next year, Ryanair flies twice a week from Memmingen to the Caucasus State Armenia. Gyumri located close to the Turkish border, with 130.000 habitants is the second biggest city in the country and the newest member on a long list of destinations reachable from Memmingen Airport.

Ryanair connects Memmingen with Gyumri

Memmingen Airport honors the name as an East-Europe expert. From the end of March 2020, a new destination of this region is added: Gyumri in Armenia.

The city near the Turkish border, with a population of 130.000, the second biggest in the country, is going to be operated with Ryanair from Memmingen 2 times a week on Monday and Friday. The launch begins on the 30 of March 2020. The state in the Caucasus is located in the mountains between Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey. The international airport Shirak is located five kilometers away from the city center. Armenia is home to some UNESCO World Heritage sites like the monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin, the archaeological site of Zvartnots as well as the monastery of Geghard in the Azat-Valley. The Sewan Lake, who is one of the biggest mountain lakes, is a popular tourist attraction in the summer. “As a tourist destination this country still is a secret tip”, explains Aviation Director Marcel Schütz. “Armenia completes our East-Europe portfolio perfectly”. Memmingen is going to be an important hub for the country and its young people, to discover the south of Germany and its neighboring countries.

Book your flight (link: https://www.memmingen-airport.com/home/flights-and-flying/booking/flights/?to=LWN)

Dr. Hans Reichhart, the Bavarian Minister of Transportation, opens up the gas station and hands over a huge fund.

Sustainability is also a big topic in air traffic. It is still going to be worked on the production of alternative fuels and drive. Memmingen Airport puts a sign with the new natural gas station. Reichhart inaugurated the new gas station on Monday the 9th of September. Furthermore, he had a huge and important document with him.

“I am very happy, that Memmingen Airport makes a contribution with a natural gas station and with natural gas driving busses to protect the climate.” so the minister at the Airport.
“With the alternative fuel we can reduce 20 percent compared to petrol.”, says Airport CEO Ralf Schmid. Six airport busses and 4 transporters are running with the alternative fuel. More vehicles are to come.
With him the minister had a document, for which the Airport in Memmingen was waiting for – a grant fund from the Bavarian government for the expansion of the airport. “We want”, so the minister, “support the air traffic location Memmingen and support the expansion of the airport with of around 14.5 Million Euros.
The airport connects the Allgäu with international destinations and is of enormous importance for the region. “Memmingen Airport has established itself, besides the airports in Munich and Nuremberg, as the third traffic airport in Bavaria”

Corendon Airlines expands their summer offers

After the holidays is before the holidays: Who wants to book their holidays now, finds sunny deals at Memmingen Airport. Because Corendon Airlines, the daughter company of the Turkish-Dutch Corendon Touristic Group, expands their Charter deals from Memmingen to destinations like Heraklion and Rhodes next year.

From May on you can fly non-stop from Memmingen to the two popular Greece Islands. Heraklion is from the 3rd of May 2020 every Thursday and every Sunday on the flight plan. To Rhodes flights are operating from the 2nd of May 2020 on every Saturday and Tuesday. “The travel destination Greece is still very much in demand”, says Head of Aviation Sales Marcel Schütz. “With these two new destinations our Hellenic offer is getting more attractive.” For now, flights are operated frequently by Ryanair to Chania on Crete, Thessaloniki and to the capital Athens.

To Antalya in 2020 again

Good news for Turkey-Holidaymakers. They also can already plan their next vacation. Due to the high demand – especially in the Pentecost- and Summer holidays – Corendon is going to connect the Turkish holiday metropolis Antalya with Memmingen from the 6th of April. Two times a week (Tuesdays and Sundays) flights are going to the Turkish Riviera, the whole summer long.
For those who only want to book flight, they can go to corendonairlines.com. Package Holidays can be booked in every travel agency, as well at the TUI TravelCenter and the I’tur Travel-Shop at the Airport.

At Memmingen Airport the preparations for the widening are running on full speed.

At the airport is still normal business. But during the busy holidays, the airport is preparing for an unusual event. From the 17 until the 30 of September the aircraft traffic rests. But during that time, it’s going to get busy on the runway. Instead of landings from jets, machines and trucks are going to be there.

For month Bavarians third Airport records visitors during the night, who are digging shafts and laying cables along the runway. “We are on track”, reports Airport CEO Ralf Schmid. “Nevertheless, we are reaching the highlight, for what we are preparing with our involved partners for a few months.” Because the 2.981 meter long and 30 meters wide runway, still from the military use, doesn’t comply with the International and European standards, the runway is going to be widened up to 45 meters. Therefore approx.. 2.700 cubic meter of cement is used. In total the asphalt is going to be renewed for 165.000 m2. This corresponds to 23 soccer fields. For that approx. 57.000 tons of asphalt is used. Being able to provide a concreted work area, where no mistakes are allowed, a closure was the best idea. “It is not going to be easy”, so Ralf Schmid, “but with our involved partners, we are convinced that we can handle it.” During the construction work, more traffic around Memmingen, Hawangen and Ungerhausen will be expected. “We are apologizing for any inconveniences. We are trying to keep the burden as low as possible. Thank you for your understanding.”, so Airport CEO Schmid.

No flights between the 17 and the 30 of September

What does this mean for passengers? “Ryanair cancelled all their flights from and to Memmingen from the 17 till the 30 of September”, reports Head of Marketing Marina Siladji. Wizz Air and a few charter flights are going to operate from other airports. “Who has booked a flight in that period”, so Marina Siladji”, should check the information on their tickets and should contact the airline by any misunderstandings.”
While the construction work is going on, the terminal is still open. The information desk and the parking office will be open from 9 am to 6 pm.
For these two weeks the Allgäu Airport Express, Flixbus and the public transportation from the railway station to Memmingen Airport are not operating. In the public area of the terminal, Coffee Fellows is open daily with a smaller assortment; all the other bars and coffees are closed during that time. The Airlounge at the South of the airport area is going to be opened like usually. The TUI travel agency is open from 9 am till 6 pm. The car rental companies Europcar and Hertz are closed, Sixt is open.

Besides the renovation and the widening of the runway, the renewing of the landing system, the baggage hall and the aprons are going to be expanded and a rainwater retention basin is built. The completion of all constructions is expected in 2021.