Rise in Passenger Numbers during the Autumn Half-term Holidays

City breaks, visits to family and friends or a sunny getaway: the autumn half-term holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia also led to an increase in passenger numbers at Dortmund Airport. In total, the airport welcomed 187,734 passengers during the two-week holiday period; equivalent to a year-on-year increase of around 5.2 percent.

The airport recorded a particular highlight on 25 October. On this particular Sunday, Wizz Air added the new daily service to Rome-Fiumicino to its timetable. Passenger numbers reached an all-time high at the same time: with 14,148 travellers, 25 October was not only the busiest day of 2026 to date, but also the day with the highest volume in the history of Dortmund Airport. 

Katowice topped the list of the most popular destinations during the holidays. Services to the Polish city were particularly frequent, with up to three flights a day. Over 17,300 passengers travelled on the route in total. Demand was also high on the flights to Mallorca and Tirana. With around 13,650 passengers, Mallorca came second, followed by Tirana with roughly 11,100.

Attention is already turning to the busy period at the end of the year after the autumn half-term. With the Christmas holidays approaching, the airport is set to experience its next major travel period in December. Many people will be using the airport in the last days of 2026 to take a long weekend break or to spend the festive season with family and friends.