Positive EU operating result

With 2.586 million passengers, Dortmund Airport achieved the second-best result in its history in 2022. Only in 2019 (2.719 million) did more passengers use it. With a recovery rate of 95% compared to 2019, Dortmund Airport was at the top of the top 10 airports in Germany, which recorded an average recovery rate of around 65%.

This positive trend also continued at the beginning of 2023 - both in January and in February, the passenger numbers of 2019 were exceeded.

The expected annual result for 2022 is minus 8.5 million euros. This almost halved the previous year’s result of minus 15.6 million euros. In addition, at EUR 1.4 million, Dortmund Airport achieved the positive operating result required by the EU guidelines for the first time (annual result without depreciation, interest and official costs). The airport is thus meeting the obligations of the guidelines for state aid earlier than planned, which have been in force since April 2014, to achieve a balanced operating result by 2024. Due to the pandemic, the EU is currently planning to extend this period by 3 years to 2027. “Despite the major challenges in 2022, we were able to achieve the best business result in the last 20 years. By fulfilling the EU requirements, we have reached an important milestone. The start of 2023 makes us confident of continued positive development. Nevertheless, the environment remains very volatile - both in terms of operational issues of personnel availability and the geopolitical risks from the Ukraine war and persistently high inflation. The basis of this success is the strong loyalty of the passengers to our location, the good mix of airlines and the extraordinary commitment of our employees,” says airport boss Ludger van Bebber.

Guntram Pehlke, CEO of DSW21 and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Flughafen Dortmund GmbH, is also extremely pleased: “This is a great success - not only for the airport, but for the entire DSW21 group and for the city of Dortmund. Despite Corona and the war, the extremely positive passenger development shows that the offer exactly matches the demand in the Ruhr area. And the positive EU result proves that, contrary to all prophecies of doom, Dortmund Airport can very well be operated economically.” Pehlke expresses his special thanks to the employees with these words: “The employees have a difficult time behind them, which they mastered brilliantly with great commitment and team spirit.”

The final results will be presented at the Supervisory Board meeting in June 2023 after the audit has been completed and the 2022 annual financial statements have been approved.