The New Hamburg Airport

‘Boomtown Hamburg’ – the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg is continuing to develop into one of Europe’s top city destinations. Tourism in the Greater Hamburg region is experiencing significantly more dynamic growth than in other major cities, such as Berlin and Munich. Hamburg’s hotels reported 7.4 million overnight stays in 2006, and the growth is continuing. The city welcomed a total of 111 million day trippers in 2007. Hamburg Airport is a substantial contributor to the region’s tourism boom. It is not only one of Germany’s largest airports, it is also among the fastest growing.

Around 65 airlines fly from Hamburg to more than 130 destinations worldwide. More than 1,600 people are employed by the Hamburg Airport Group and its 14 subsidiary companies, and more than 250 companies operating on the airport premises provide jobs to almost 14,000 people. Hamburg Airport paints an accurate picture of the entire aviation industry in the immediate past. Last year saw 6.9% growth in passenger numbers to almost 12.8 million and growth of 12% was recorded the previous year. This year the airport is expecting more than 13 million passengers, a new record in the company’s almost 100 year history.

Hamburg Airport is now the fifth largest of Germany’s 24 international commercial airports, after Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf and Berlin, and ranked 100 worldwide. This development has gone hand in hand with modernisation and investment for the future, at Hamburg Airport as much as elsewhere. With the 350 million euro HAM 21 project, the airport has set its course for the future.

The ‘New Hamburg Airport’ will be officially opened on 26 November, 2008, at a ceremony in the new Airport Plaza. The functionality of this passenger shopping mall underlines the challenge faced and accepted by modern, successful airports: moving away from being a sober ‘railway station for flights’ and becoming instead an efficient, effective and comfortable world of travel and experiences for passengers and visitors.

New world of travel and experiences: the Airport Plaza

Efficient, beautiful and modern, the New Hamburg Airport brings together the latest technology and visionary architecture under one roof. Famous architect Meinhard von Gerkan designed the new facility. The passenger terminals and the Airport Plaza are characterised by a sweeping roof structure, inspired by the curve of an aircraft‘s wing. The new Airport Plaza is centrally located between the two terminals, T1 and T2.

The Plaza links the two terminals and is home to the central security checkpoint, with a total of 16 high volume security control stations. The baggage transportation systems from T1 and T2 will also be connected in the Plaza. The New Hamburg Airport is northern Germany’s gateway to the world, and the Airport Plaza is a colourful marketplace for passengers, with a variety of exclusive shops, restaurants, bars and cafés. Once they have passed through the central security checkpoint, passengers enter the 4,450 square metre Plaza retail space. This features around 40 shops, including the classic Travel Value & Duty Free product range as well as newspapers and magazines, toys and fashion. With 1,400 square metres of floor space, Heinemann Duty Free will be the largest shop in the Airport Plaza. The shop will also offer additional services such as the Service Counter, where passengers can obtain information on departure times or products and can collect items ordered in advance by telephone or online.

A new 2,630 square metre food court, with a wide variety of concepts, operated by Marché International, will take care of passenger’s physical needs in a single, central location. There will be a Marché™ Natural Bakery, a Cindy’s Diner with fresh burgers, a Mövenpick Coffee Bar, and a San Pino pizza and salad outlet. Marché International will also operate a Gosch Sylt Restaurant under license, spoiling guests with high quality fish specialties.

Just a few minutes to the gate: the airport with short walking distances

The New Hamburg Airport is characterised by its short walking distances. After checking-in in one of the two bright, spacious terminals, a passenger walks to the security checkpoint in the Airport Plaza, located directly between the two terminals. After passing through the checkpoint it is a direct walk to the departure gate.

Broad access roads and a dynamic parking guidance system ensure that it is easy to reach the airport by private car. When the expansion work is completed at the end of 2009, around 12,000 parking spaces will be available for passengers, 8,400 of which will be located close to the terminals. Passengers can walk from their parking space to the departure gate in a matter of minutes, more quickly than at any other European airport of comparable size.

The opening of the Airport S-Bahn station at the end of 2008 will link Hamburg Airport to the city’s rail network. Passengers will be able to travel on the S1 line from Hamburg’s Hauptbahnhof (central railway station) to the new station, directly underneath the terminals, in just 25 minutes. The service will operate every 10 minutes. This will strengthen Hamburg Airport’s role as the airport for the whole of northern Germany. The new station, ‘Hamburg Airport’, can be reached from both terminals and the Airport Plaza by lift, escalator or stairs. The lifts have been built large enough to allow passengers to transport baggage trollies.

Architecturally, the newest station in Hamburg’s S-Bahn network reflects the design of the two passenger terminals and the Airport Plaza. The ceiling canopy is reminiscent of the sweeping roofs in the airport and the red granite flooring is also very similar to that used in the terminals.

Directly opposite the terminals, a new Radisson Hotel is being built with around 270 rooms. The hotel is due for completion in mid 2009 and will be located only 100 metres from the Airport Plaza. The new four star hotel will include a restaurant, a bar, a fitness area and a 950 square metre conference centre.

New terminals, widened access roads, passenger pier extension – a chronicle of growth

The Airport Plaza is the final stage in the completion of the New Hamburg Airport. The whole process started with the beginning of building work for Terminal 1 in 2001. With its natural light and spacious design, continuing the architecture of Terminal 2, which entered service in 1993, the new Terminal 1 ushered in a new era at Hamburg Airport when it was opened in May 2005. Terminal 1 alone has 58 check-in counters, and combined with a baggage transportation system that can move 6,000 items of baggage per hour, this gave Hamburg Airport both a new appearance and a state-of-the-art operating infrastructure.

The southern extension to the passenger pier was begun in autumn 2002 and entered into operation at the start of 2004. Since then, six new jetbridges and eight additional bus gates have made boarding more convenient and comfortable. The new building section lends the whole Pier more visual weight to counterbalance the terminals and completes the symmetry of the design.

In 2004, the P2 multistorey car park, Europe’s largest parking rotunda, increased the number of parking spaces available close to the terminals by 2,200 at once. The round design has several advantages for motorists. The refined geometry makes so-called ‘pillar-free parking’ possible. This means that the building’s supporting pillars are located at the end of the parking spaces instead of the front, so that the driver does not have difficult manoeuvers to make when parking. The parking spaces also get wider, so that passengers can easily load and unload their baggage. The so-called ‘rotunda rings’, opened at the end of 2006, have further expanded the parking facilities at P2 by 3,000 spaces.

The work on a new, broader access road to the terminals commenced at the start of 2003. Since the completion of the widened access roads in May 2005, four lanes are open for through traffic, along with one stopping lane immediately in front of the buildings and a short term parking zone. A parking guidance system, with dynamic displays, has been simplifying the approach to the airport for motorists since April 2005. Information is displayed within a 1.5 km radius of the airport, to inform motorists of current parking options and guide them to the nearest free spaces.

Taking responsibility for the environment: the greener airport

Growth and environmental protection go hand in hand at Hamburg Airport. Preventive environmental protection is a fundamental component of the airport’s corporate strategy. As an innovative, environmentally aware company, Hamburg Airport wants to reduce the environmental impact of its operations well beyond the minimal requirements.

When it comes to emissions, Hamburg Airport deploys modern, environmentally friendly technology. This can clearly be seen in the technical building facilities, in the vehicles used in operations, and in work processes. A hydrogen refuelling station is located within the grounds of Hamburg Airport for refuelling two fuel cell-powered baggage tugs. The airport is testing these vehicles for their suitability in day-to-day operations in a two-year pilot project. A variety of measures, for example the general ban on the use of aircraft on-board auxiliary power units (APUs) during ground handling and the conversion of the entire fleet of baggage trucks to natural gas, have enabled the airport to reduce its CO2 emissions by around 11,600 tonnes per year. The current annual CO2 savings are set to grow by an extra 1,700 tonnes per year.

The Airport is also required to identify, document and evaluate all processes and their environmental impact, so that opportunities for improvement may be recognised. Hamburg Airport aims to make progress in operational environmental protection by providing thorough education and training to its employees.