Dortmund Airport continues its growth trajectory
Dortmund Airport reflects on a successful 2025, once again recording rising traffic figures. Last year, 3,242,569 passengers used the Ruhr area airport. This represents an increase of around 110,000 passengers, which is a rise of about 3.5 percent compared to the previous record year of 2024 (2024: 3,132,707 passengers). The number of aircraft movements also developed positively, increasing by 3.5 percent to a total of 36,080 take-offs and landings.
The positive annual result was achieved despite challenging conditions. At the start of the summer schedule, Ryanair withdrew from Dortmund, while Eurowings also reduced its services. These changes were initially reflected in subdued traffic growth (+2.1 percent passenger increase in the first half of the year). The summer season marked the turning point: A significant upward trend, driven by strong demand during the summer holidays (+10.5 percent passenger growth) and a new record month in August with 337,628 passengers, ensured the strong year-end outcome, exceeding the airport's initial expectations with over 3.2 million passengers.
As the airport's largest partner, Wizz Air carried over 2.56 million passengers in 2025 and introduced three new destinations: Warsaw, Craiova, and Olsztyn-Mazury. Fleet decisions had a beneficial impact, with Wizz Air increasingly using the Airbus A321neo, offering higher efficiency and greater seat capacity per flight. Significant increases were also seen in the tourism sector. Condor raised the frequency of flights to Mallorca from three to seven weekly, tripling the passenger numbers on this route to over 56,000 passengers. Pegasus Airlines strengthened its connection to Antalya and, along with its existing flights to Istanbul, reached over 144,000 passengers on both routes.
The ranking of the most popular destinations showed shifts in 2025. Although the Polish city of Katowice remains firmly at the top with 353,202 travellers, Palma de Mallorca, previously second, slips to fourth despite stable passenger numbers (213,323 travellers).
The Balearic island was overtaken by two Eastern European capitals: Tirana and Bucharest. The route to Tirana saw a significant increase, reaching second place with 255,886 travellers. 225,174 guests headed to Bucharest (3rd place). Connections to Gdansk, Sofia, Skopje, and Antalya were also highly sought after.
The signs indicate celebration and expansion at Dortmund Airport in 2026. The airport celebrates its 100th anniversary, expecting further passenger growth during the anniversary year. Air transport is a very dynamic industry where adjustments must often be made at short notice. "This year, we experienced that ourselves, responded accordingly, and concluded an extremely successful year despite some setbacks," says airport managing director Ludger van Bebber. He also views the outlook for 2026 optimistically: The prospects are promising. Six newly offered routes this year enhance our position. With this expansion, we aim to sustain the momentum from 2025 into the anniversary year.” For 2026, the airport aims to welcome up to 3.5 million passengers.
Despite the positive trends, the conditions remain volatile. Although the German government reversed the air traffic tax increase introduced in May 2024, high operating costs in Germany continue to negatively affect competitiveness.