Quiet start to the year with a positive outlook

For Dortmund Airport, the first quarter of 2026 closed with a total of 652,152 passengers. This equates to a slight year-on-year reduction (-3.7 per cent), but confirms nonetheless a generally stable development for the early period of 2026.

The first three months tend to be the quietest travelling time of the year. But the lack of last year’s extra traffic from Ryanair is an additional factor. With this in mind, the slight decline compared to the previous year was to be expected. So the momentum over the course of the month is all the more positive: with around 237,800 travellers, March exceeded the previous year's level (+1,089 passengers) and clearly underscored the uptick in demand. "As anticipated, the first quarter of 2026 was slightly weaker than the very strong period last year”, explains Airport Chief Executive Ludger van Bebber. “Nevertheless, we are generally seeing robust demand and a stable foundation we can build on for the rest of the year. The consistently high capacity utilisation on some important routes is particularly pleasing."

Looking ahead to the coming months, the focus is clearly on the future: the summer season and the summer flight schedule released in late March promise strong growth prospects. The flight programme has been expanded significantly, with new and extended connections delivering meaningful stimulus. The frequency of established routes, including to Budapest, Tirana and Bucharest, has been increased, with three new destinations – London, Wroclaw and Târgu Mureș – added to the flight schedule as well. The connection to Oradea will premiere in June. What is more, Condor is returning with daily flights to Majorca starting May as a particular service to strengthen the tourist segment. Overall, the airport expects a noticeable hike in demand and a continued upturn in passenger numbers at the start of the second quarter, partly due to the Easter holidays.