DENMARK. Copenhagen Airport has opened the refurbished and expanded Terminal 2, including new shops, more check-in desks and an upgraded baggage system.
The total cost of the projects, which have been in progress over the past year, has amounted to DKK540 million (US$97 million) and they have been completed in time for summer.
The terminal now has an additional 1,400sq m for passengers, and capacity has been expanded with 12 new check-in desks and 16 new check-in kiosks.
Among the new shops to have moved in are a branch of the bakery Lagkagehuset and a new 7-Eleven concept.
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Part of the new area at Copenhagen Airport Terminal 2 |
Meanwhile, the baggage system has been expanded to now include an additional 2.8 kilometres of baggage conveyors, 500 motors and new software, resulting in increased capacity and speed and enhanced operational reliability.
Speaking at the opening of the expanded terminal, Copenhagen Airport CEO Thomas Woldbye said: “Copenhagen Airport is growing, and to accommodate that growth we needed to create significantly more room for passengers and airlines and increase our capacity with additional space and new check-in desks.
“At the same time, we have upgraded our baggage system to handle the up to 30 million passengers we expect to welcome annually in the future. Overall, this will give airlines, handling companies and passengers a better product because everything from check-in to baggage drop and baggage sorting will become easier, and there will be fewer errors.”
According to the airport, the upgrades and expansion will also strengthen its position in the competition between hubs across Europe.
It added that, in the coming years, it will continue to expand through a number of major construction projects targeting terminals, baggage sorting and manoeuvring area. Refurbishment of the remaining part of Terminal 2 is scheduled for completion in 2016.
The airport also today announced that passenger traffic grew by +6.6% year-on-year in May, driven by continued growth in international traffic.
The hub welcomed 2.15 million passengers, a record for the month, bringing overall passenger numbers for the year so far up to 9.05 million, up +1.5%.
International traffic was up +5.7% to 1.98 million, with the airport attributing this partly to strong growth from Norwegian, easyJet and Vueling, and a strong start for the new SAS route to San Francisco. There was also a +2% increase in transfer numbers.
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For the first time in two years, domestic traffic also contributed to overall growth, up +17% to 172,812, although overall numbers for the year remain down -10.4%.
Woldbye said: “The +17% growth in domestic traffic was achieved because we now see a positive full-year effect of the domestic routes that were opened in the wake of the Cimber Sterling bankruptcy on 3 May last year.
“However, more capacity is still needed – not least in terms of more frequencies – for domestic traffic to reach the 2011 level.”
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