Rebuilt following a serious fire 10 years ago, the airport enjoys excellent transport links with the rest of Germany and is growing rapidly. Sheron Crossman reports Düsseldorf argues with Hamburg and Stuttgart as to which of them is Germany’s richest city. Whoever is right, there’s no doubt Düsseldorf is wealthy. This is the country’s leading centre for foreign trade and home to 5,000 branch offices of international companies. Its state, North Rhine-Westphalia, generates one fifth of the country’s GNP and the city hosts more than 40 international trade fairs annually. Düsseldorf sells itself as Germany’s leading fashion centre and stages the world’s largest fashion trade fair. Consequently, its centre is awash with luxury shops and designer names. And, with all those models and trade fair delegates flying into town, it comes as little surprise that its airport is as sexy as its catwalks. Düsseldorf is one of Europe’s most modern airports, the terminal (and there is only one) was completed in 2003, replacing the original structure of 1927 which suffered a serious fire in 1996. The central terminal building is split into three main areas, A, B and C, with five executive lounges scattered throughout. For business travellers, this is close to airport perfection. Transport links are excellent, the terminal has 6,200m2 of retail space, 4,400m2 of restaurants and bars and a 1,200m2 conference centre. Wireless internet access is available via its 50,000m2 hotspot and surfers get to check out the free services available at the airport on the pre-programmed home page. Far from being simply a functional gateway, the terminal is designed with eating, drinking and shopping in mind. On level 3 is the Wöllhaf conference centre. Its 24 meeting rooms are equipped with every hi-tech gizmo going and there’s space for up to 250 delegates. And for bored participants there’s even an interesting view of the airline activity on the apron. Further meeting facilities are available at the nearby, the Arabella Sheraton Airport hotel which offers function space for up to 230 and will tailor-make arrangements for specific needs. Airport Arcades, Düsseldorf’s swanky shopping mall, is home to more than 50 stores and is located landside, making it accessible to passengers and visitors. But these facilities will soon be dwarfed by the airport’s newest expansion plans. Düsseldorf Airport City is to be built on 23 hectares of prime commercial land. The huge business and office park will consist of buildings ranging from 3,000 to 30,000m2 designed by the same architects who drew up the terminal building. Key to the plan is the construction of a congress centre and hotel due for completion next year, which will link directly with the airport. Even without the new City, Düsseldorf is on a roll. Last year saw more than 15.5 million passengers pass through the airport, almost 300,000 more than the previous year. Currently Germany’s third busiest airport (after Frankfurt and Munich), there is plenty of room for expansion, with capacity for 22 million passengers annually. “The past year was a great success. We’ve achieved significant growth in air traffic and more than tripled our annual surplus,” says Dr Rainer Schwarz, the airport’s president and CEO. “The healthy growth in passenger numbers is a result of the high slot productivity that we’ve achieved with the airlines.” Passenger figures for this year are looking even better. During the first quarter, passenger numbers were up 6%. The airport expects an increase of over a million passengers to a total of 16.6 million by the end of the year. This will be helped by the launch of a number of new routes: the summer schedule now features 70 long-haul flights a week and some 70 airlines use the airport serving 165 destinations.
| 
|
