Compliance
The airport has implemented and is continuously developing a comprehensive compliance management system.The prevention of corruption offences and financial crimes is one of the central concerns.
Extensive measures have been implemented to prevent such offences. These include binding regulations for employees on the acceptance and granting of benefits, the formation of a compliance committee that coordinates the measures taken and follows up on incoming information, as well as the establishment of an internal reporting centre for contacting internal and external whistleblowers (see below).
If you have any questions about the airport's Compliance Management System, you can contact the Internal Audit / Compliance (SR) department at any time:
The topic of compliance is of great importance to Flughafen Köln/Bonn GmbH. The legal obligations of the Whistleblower Protection Act are consistently implemented.
In essence, the law is intended to protect whistleblowers from so-called reprisals and create a secure framework for whistleblowing.
An important provision of this law is the obligation for companies to set up internal whistleblowing systems.
According to the law, employees and persons who are in contact with Flughafen Köln/Bonn GmbH due to their professional activities must have the opportunity to submit information about potential grievances within the company both verbally and in writing. It must be possible to make personal contact with a responsible person in the company.
At Flughafen Köln/Bonn GmbH (FKB), such information can be submitted to the internal reporting office by employees and the above-mentioned persons. There are two ways to do this: Firstly, contact can be made with the ombudsman, Prof Dr Björn Gercke from the law firm Gercke Wollschläger, and secondly, employees and the above-mentioned persons can contact the Internal Audit/Compliance staff unit (SR) at any time in confidence - and absolutely anonymously if desired.
A digital whistleblower system is also available for the purpose of submitting reports, which can be accessed and used via the following link:
This digital whistleblower system also serves as a reporting channel for anomalies in accordance with Section 7 (9) of the Aviation Security Act.
The ombudsman's main task is to receive information and pass it on to the airport. He only forwards information to which he has been authorised by the whistleblower. He is also available to all persons as a confidential contact person. The ombudsman's right to refuse to give evidence means that whistleblowers can assume absolute anonymity vis-à-vis the airport company if they so wish.
The ombudsman receives reports of corruption, irregularities, conflicts of interest and breaches of the law. General complaints are not accepted. Other departments within the company are already designated for reports in accordance with the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG) or for suggestions for improvement. The information does not incur any costs for those providing it. You can contact the ombudsman in person or by other means of communication:

Prof. Dr. Björn Gercke
Advocaat/Ombudsman
Gercke|Wollschläger, Clever Str. 16, 50668 Köln
Since 1 January 2024, the airport company has also been covered by the "Act on Corporate Due Diligence to Prevent Human Rights Violations in Supply Chains", or Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) for short. For the first time, the LkSG regulates corporate responsibility for compliance with human rights in supply chains.
The due diligence obligations include the following in particular:
- Establishment of appropriate and effective risk management
- Submission of a policy statement on respect for human rights
- Implementation of preventive measures where risks are identified
- Taking appropriate remedial action in the event of identified breaches of due diligence
- Establishment of a complaints procedure
- Documentation and reporting obligations as part of the fulfilment of due diligence obligations
The implementation of the due diligence obligations of this law is consistently pursued by the airport company. Important information and documents can be viewed below.
The airport rejects any form of human rights violations. Appropriate and effective grievance management is therefore an important part of its due diligence processes in order to effectively prevent and remedy any potential adverse human rights impacts caused by the company and its business activities. The airport has set up an operational grievance management system that is accessible inside and outside the company and participates in industry-wide procedures.
A digital whistleblowing system is also available for the purpose of whistleblowing, which can be accessed and used via the following link:
Within the airport company, the Internal Audit/Compliance department is responsible for receiving reports of potential breaches of the law. In addition, a legal ombudsman has been appointed as an external contact whose contact details can be found here on the homepage and on the company's own intranet. The information received is processed in accordance with legal requirements. The proper processing of these reports is of great importance to the airport company.

Prof. Dr. Björn Gercke
Advocaat/Ombudsman
Gercke|Wollschläger, Clever Str. 16, 50668 Köln