Passenger traffic at Munich Airport increased by an impressive 2.3 million to a new all-time high of 44.6 million in 2017, up 5.5 per cent over the 2016 figure.

The airport also saw a strong surge in take-offs and landings, with an increase of more than 10,000 to approximately 405,000 – a gain of 2.6 per cent. Without the reduction in services by Air Berlin in the summer period, followed by that airline's bankruptcy, the increase would have been even bigger. Another record is reported by the airfreight segment, which achieved a total turnover of around 379,000 tons in 2017 – a 7 per cent gain over the previous year.

"These are outstanding traffic figures, especially when we consider the turbulence the aviation industry is currently experiencing. The massive increases once again underscore our airport's importance as one of the leading air transportation hubs in Europe," said Dr. Michael Kerkloh, the president and CEO of Munich Airport.

As in previous years, passenger growth in Munich benefited in particular from above-average gains in international traffic: The strongest growth was seen in the intercontinental segment, where traffic increased by 7 per cent to 7.3 million passengers. Demand was strong especially for connections from Munich to destinations in the US. Continental services remained the largest traffic segment with a total of 27.4 million passengers – 6.5 per cent more than in 2016. Within Europe, the strongest growth was seen on routes to and from Greece and Spain. On domestic routes within Germany, traffic increased by more than 2 per cent to over 9.8 million passengers. The percentage of seats occupied was up again in 2017, increasing to a new record level of 76.5 per cent.

Munich also expanded its global route network yet again: With 266 destinations – nine more than in the previous year – passengers at Bavaria's international hub had more routes to choose from than ever before. The number of airlines offering scheduled services in Munich increased by two to 102. - TradeArabia News Service