Category : Press

After seven months it’s certain: 2019 will be also a record year – 1,600 flights during the summer holidays

Before the end of July, the airport already records the millionth passenger. “We’ve never reached this magic limit that fast,” says airport manager Ralf Schmid. “The climb continues and the response is huge.” Last year 1,492,553 passengers flew to and from Memmingen. This corresponded to an increase of 26.5 percent compared with the previous year. This year 1.65 million passengers are expected – although the airport will be closed in September for two weeks because of expansion work.

During the summer holidays 280,000 passengers are expected. Compared to the previous year’s period, a plus of 26 percent. Memmingen Airport offers during that time 1,600 flights to 46 destinations in Europe, Asia and North Africa.

Memmingen Airport continues to be in the black and returned to profitability in the financial year 2018. The signs are still on growth.

More destinations, more passengers – in the past financial year Memmingen worked successfully again. This is also reflected in the balance sheet of Flughafen Memmingen GmbH. In its second financial year after the restructuring of the corporate structure, it generated sales revenues of EUR 14.2 million (previous year: EUR 11.6 million). The annual net profit is stated as EUR 261.000 (previous year: EUR 111.280). “We have been stable in the profit zone for years,” explains Managing Director Ralf Schmid. “We are in solid black and will continue to do so.” Bettina Kurrle, Chairman of the supervisory board of Flughafen Memmingen GmbH and Advisory Board of Allgäu Airport GmbH & Co. KG would like to thank all employees and shareholders who made this success possible. “It is always a performance of the entire team, whose commitment is also reflected in the balance sheet.” Despite the tense situation in the airspace, some failures due to strikes and some alternate flights due to the delayed start of the expansion work, it was possible to continue the expansion course.

Passenger numbers are also rising. While the financial year 2017 ended with a record of 1,179,875 passengers, in 2018 1,492,533 passengers flew to and from Memmingen. This represents an increase of 26.5 percent over the previous year. A total of seven airlines connected Memmingen with scheduled and charter operations to 50 destinations in Europe, Africa and Asia. Despite the two-week closure of the runway between 17^th and 30^th September, around 1.65 million passengers are expected in 2019.

Last year the Allgäu Airport GmbH & Co. KG, owner of the airport core area and responsible for the airport’s expansion, as well as the ALLgate GmbH, responsible for passenger handling and the Duty Free Shop, also worked successfully. Flughafen Memmingen GmbH employed around 100 employees in 2018 and ALLgate GmbH had 66 employees.

First flight to Suceava with “ambassadors” of the district

Suceava is the sixth destination of Memmingen Airport to Romania. The destination has a special relationship with Swabia. It was also settlers from Swabia, who have influenced the image of Bukovina in the 19th century.

The district of Swabia maintains a regional partnership in the Romanian-Ukrainian border region Bukovina since 1997. It was formed thanks to the historical ties of Swabia to the former “Buchenland”, where many people of German descent lived. The district Swabia is very pleased about the new, long-awaited direct flight connection. “This facilitates our partnership work and the creation of further contacts in the Bukovina,” says former district president Jürgen Reichert at a press conference before the first flight, which he boarded with other representatives of the district. Airport managing director Ralf Schmid has been trying to fulfill the desire of the region for a direct flight connection to this destination for some time. “I am very pleased,” says Schmid, “that together with our partner Wizz Air, we have now succeeded in putting this tradition-rich connection between Swabia and Bukovina on a new basis with tree flights per week.” “With the new flight connection we move even closer together,” says former district president Jürgen Reichert.

The current exchange between the regions is characterized by youth and educational work as well as exchange of expertise between social and medical institutions. In addition, there are many contacts through the Bukovina Institute, an affiliated institute of the University of Augsburg, which is dedicated to the study of the culture and history of Bukovina and Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The district of Swabia also looks after an information point in Suceava, which provides information about Swabia and Bavaria.

Passengers on the first flight are the former district president Jürgen Reichert, Dr. med. Philipp Prestel, European Commissioner for the Swabian district and Katharina Haberkorn, partnership representative for Bukovina in the European Office of the district.

Three times a week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday – the airline Wizz Air offers flights from Memmingen to Suceava. Today, the northern half of the Bukovina region belongs to the Ukraine, the southern part to Romania.

After Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, Tirgu Mures and the capital Bucharest, Suceava is the sixth Romanian destination from Memmingen. Overall, the airport now offers 23 routes to and from Eastern Europe.

First flight to Suceava: On board are Swabia’s former district president Jürgen Reichert (center), Dr. Ing. Katharina Haberkorn (from left), Partner Representative for Bukovina in the European Office of the District, and Philipp Prestel, European representative of the Swabian district. District Councilor Petra Beer from Memmingen and Ralf Schmid, Managing Director of Memmingen Airport, bid farewell.

Further information at www.allgau-airport.de and www.bezirk-schwaben.de

For weeks, Memmingen Airport has had nocturnal visitors digging and laying cables in the ground. A first interim report showed: work is going according to plan.

“Our construction companies and our employees are doing a great job,” airport managing director Ralf Schmid draws a first, pleasing interim result. The schedule is kept exactly; sometimes even ahead. Up to now, seven kilometres of empty pipe routes have been laid along the runway. Electrical work began with the cable draw-in for the future airport lights. The next step is to expand 125 rainwater infeed shafts and create additional empty pipe routes. Many materials are recycled, worn concrete slabs are crushed and later used as a substructure for new operating paths.

In total, around 100 kilometres of empty pipes with 120 kilometres of lighting cables will be laid. At the heart of the project, the extension of the runway from 30 meters to 45 meters will cover an asphalt surface of 165,000 square meters. The plan is to mill 20,000 tons of asphalt and re-apply 57,000 tons of asphalt. This will happen between the 17th and the 30th of September, when the airport is closed. In addition to the renovation and widening of the runway and the renewal of the land system, the luggage hall will also be expanded, apron areas will be enlarged and a rainwater retention basin built. The completion of all work is expected in 2020.

Concrete slabs for operating routes: Great importance is attached to the recycling of the Memmingen airport. This is how these machines crush concrete slabs. The material thus obtained later serves as a foundation for new ways.

picture: Memmingen Airport

For the first time from October: from Memmingen to Jordan

Amman, Jordan’s capital is added as a new destination for the winter timetable. From October 29^th Ryanair flies non-stop from Memmingen to the capital of the Hashemite kingdom twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The metropolitan region of Amman has around four million inhabitants. The city itself offers attractive sights like the Archaeological Museum and the Roman Theater, but it can also be the starting point to explore the country. World-famous highlights are Petra, a city in the south which is carved in reddish rock, the desert Wadi Rum and the mountain Nebo. “Jordan is still an insider tip with great potential,” explains Marcel Schütz Sales Manager of Memmingen Airport. Southern Germany thus receives an attractive bridge to the Middle East.

Flights are already bookable.

Source: Memmingen Airport

Memmingen Airport reports a new passenger record. Never before in the nearly twelve-year history of the airport were so many passengers processed in one day as on the past Easter Saturday.

Already the days before, the daily passenger numbers were over 7,000. However, the Easter Saturday broke all records: 7,900 passengers took off or landed at Memmingen Airport. In total, 21 flights were handled on this date with one takeoff and one landing each. “A big compliment to our team,” says Airport Managing Director Ralf Schmid. “That was a real effort, everyone did their best. Here we reach our capacity limit,” emphasizes Schmid. The planned expansion of the luggage hall will soon provide a remedy. It is also recommended to book parking space at the airport during the holiday season in advance online.

Memmingen Airport starts its summer season with 52 scheduled flights and other charter flights

The current route network from Memmingen extends far beyond Europe. The “classics” such as London, Dublin and Palma de Mallorca are joined by destinations in North Africa and Asia. “Our mix is becoming more varied and colorful,” emphasizes Airport CEO Ralf Schmid. “Everyone can choose their desired destination.”

New destinations are Bucharest and Suceava in Romania, Ohrid in Northern Macedonia and Tirana the capital of Albania, while Chania in Crete makes a comeback.

New special charter destinations are Lamezia Terme in Italy and the Channel Island Jersey. Both are offered by the tour operator Globalis Erlebnisreisen.

The incoming share, guests flying to Memmingen from abroad to visit relatives, for vacation, or study and work, is also increasing. This applies in particular to the 24 routes to Eastern Europe. Due to high demand the frequencies have been increased on several existing routes.

From September 17th to September 30th the airport will remain closed due to extensive constructions. Ryanair has canceled all connections to and from Memmingen during this time, Wizz Air and some charter flights will shift their flights to other airports.

The entire flight plan with all destinations and times can be found here.

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Source: Memmingen Airport