Significant improvement in annual results

With a passenger volume of over 2.9 million travellers, Dortmund Airport not only achieved a new passenger record in 2023, but also significantly improved its business balance. Managing Director Ludger van Bebber presented the preliminary annual results for 2023 at the first Supervisory Board meeting of Flughafen Dortmund GmbH for 2024. Corresponding to the increased number of passengers, the airport has also managed to significantly improve the economic situation. Compared to the previous year, the loss of 8.5 million euros was more than halved with a preliminary annual result of minus 3.5 million euros.

Already in 2022, before the original deadline, the airport met the EU requirements and reported a balanced operating result in accordance with EU guidelines. As Ludger van Bebber announced, the EU EBITDA increased from 1.3 million euros to an expected 5.6 million euros at the end of 2023, and the operating result without taking into account the sovereign costs EBITDA improved from minus 3.1 million euros to plus 1.9 million euros. “We are on the right track; this is the best result in over 20 years,” said Ludger van Bebber. “The airport’s economic situation is increasingly stabilising and breaking even is getting closer and closer. We are confident that we will further reduce the deficit in 2024 in order to show a profit by 2025. In view of constantly increasing regulatory costs and the very challenging economic environment, this result is absolutely not a given.” The final results for 2023 will be announced after the audit by the auditors at the Supervisory Board meeting in June.

The positive business results can be attributed to passenger growth and the associated increase in aviation and non-aviation revenues, which also include catering and parking. After passenger numbers approached the 3 million mark in 2023, further growth is expected in 2024. The results of the first two months support this forecast. Cumulatively, around 417,000 passengers used Dortmund Airport by the end of February 2024, an increase of around 10 percent compared to the previous year (2023: 379,605 passengers).

As part of its sustainability efforts, Dortmund Airport is pursuing the goal of climate-neutral airport operations. In order to make further progress in achieving the goals, the Supervisory Board decided at today's meeting to purchase a new building management system to regulate heat, cold and fresh air in the terminal as needed. Energy consumption and energy management will be increasingly optimised using smart data technology, In addition to improved temperature regulation, the airport expects potential savings of around 200 tons of CO2 emissions and 100,000 euros annually.

The airport has also moved another step closer to its goal of 100 percent electrifying its own fleet. The replacement of diesel-powered passenger stairs will continue this year. 

Airport boss Ludger van Bebber also used the Supervisory Board meeting to inform about the upcoming finalisation of two construction projects. In order to accommodate the high number of flights from non-Schengen countries and to speed up entry processes, the Supervisory Board approved the expansion of the East entry control point in 2021. Commissioning by the Federal Police is scheduled to take place this March. The construction of the new office building for the special police forces is also well advanced. Construction of the 50 million euro project east of the terminal began with the laying of the foundation stone in March 2022. The building is scheduled to be completed after around two years of construction and handed over to the Dortmund police at the end of April.