Copenhagen airport struggles with COVID-19 impact

The airport will reduce its capacity by 40% for the next couple of years

Airports and air travel have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. With tourism declining due to health concerns and with many travelers canceling their plans and business trips, airports and the flight industry have been struggling to cope with the economic aftermath of the disease and the accompanying lockdowns and restrictions.

Coping with the consequences

In order to be able to cope with the strain and the reduced revenues the Copenhagen airport has announced that it will be introducing a number of changes to its operation – mainly in order to cut costs and ensure its long-term survival.

The main change that is envisioned is to reduce its capacity by 40% for the next couple of years. As to what has warranted this drastic shift, consider this – in 2019, Copenhagen Airport welcomed over 83,000 passengers each day during the winter months. Meanwhile, over the last few weeks its reported numbers are in the low thousands.

Thus, in order to reduce operating costs and save money, the airport will be closing 24 of its 78 gates. Not only were they unnecessary considering the low passenger flow but they were also costly and inefficient – something that could spell disaster in terms of the venue’s economic viability.

According to airport officials, the closure of the gates will continue throughout 2021 and until 2022. In case of a sudden influx of passengers, they will be reopened with a two-month notice, but that remains unlikely.

Nonetheless, anything is possible. With the uplifting announcements for a vaccine, travel could once again become the norm in 2021, as more and more restrictions are lifted and life steadily trickles back into pre-COVID normality.