Signing of the security services agreement with Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser.
20 million euros invested in optimal customer experience.
A milestone for Cologne Bonn Airport: from 1 January 2025, the airport company will take over the organisation of aviation security checks from the federal police and will manage them itself from next year. The underlying entrustment contract was signed today by Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser and Thilo Schmid, Chairman of the Board of Flughafen Köln/Bonn GmbH, at a ceremony at the airport. Afterwards, Barbara Heuser, President of the Federal Police Headquarters in Sankt Augustin, presented the official entrustment certificate.
‘Security is the top priority in aviation. The federal police are primarily responsible for ensuring this – in close cooperation with partners at the airports. We want to ensure the highest security standards while also keeping waiting times for passengers to a minimum. Just as we have already done in Frankfurt and Berlin, the airport operator itself is now taking over important parts of passenger and baggage controls in Cologne. This will increase flexibility and efficiency – and will, of course, be carried out under the supervision of the federal police. This allows the federal police to concentrate more on their important security tasks. This is beneficial for everyone involved,‘ says Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser.
‘As an airport, we want to offer our guests the best possible travel experience. This includes optimally coordinating procedures and controlling essential processes from a single source. By taking over the control and organisation of security checks, we are opening a new chapter in the future-oriented development of our airport,’ says airport CEO Thilo Schmid. ‘We are investing in the redesign of the control area and in the comprehensive use of the latest CT technology, which will gradually replace the existing control equipment as early as next year,’ explains Schmid. ’With the federal police as our partner at our side, we can continue to guarantee that we combine the passenger experience with consistently high security standards.’
Latest technology and redesign starting next year
The reconstruction of the control area and the implementation of the latest CT technology will begin in autumn 2025 and will be completed in summer 2026. Cologne Bonn Airport will then be the first airport in Germany to be fully equipped with CT technology at the control points. This will enable all passengers to leave liquids and electronic devices in their hand luggage during the check, which will simplify procedures and make them more efficient. A specially designed security lane will be set up for families to optimise processes. In addition, the control area will be visually integrated into the overall terminal concept and passenger routes will be made intuitive and pleasant. ‘The security control area will be virtually unrecognisable after the renovation. We are creating a completely new customer experience. The new technology and modern design will improve the quality of the passenger and employee experience alike,’ says Schmid. ‘We are investing a total of around 20 million euros.’
Close cooperation with the federal police
The ‘Next Chapter’ project forms the basis for this realignment. In recent months, the airport has worked closely with the federal police to make comprehensive preparations, including creating training concepts, publishing tenders for the new control technology, and planning the organisation of the operational transition. As part of this, a new department has been set up to manage the controls. Practical tests are now being carried out in a so-called shadow operation. ‘I would like to express my sincere thanks to the entire project team and the federal police for their excellent cooperation,’ says Schmid, CEO of the airport. ‘Thanks to the great commitment of everyone involved, we were able to decide on the handover on 1 January with today's delegation.’
Until the end of this year, the Federal Police will control the screening of passengers and their baggage in accordance with Section 5 of the Aviation Security Act. The Federal Police will continue to be responsible for ensuring aviation security. In particular, it is responsible for legal and technical supervision, protection of the control points and other essential tasks to ensure aviation security standards. A private security service provider will continue to be used to carry out the checks after the airport company has taken over the organisation. After Frankfurt and Berlin, Cologne/Bonn is the third airport in Germany to take control of the control processes itself.
Investment programme in passenger processes and travel comfort
With the takeover of security checks, the airport is taking a further step towards a holistic passenger process. The airport is already set to commission a new Airport Operation Control Center (AOCC) in 2023. All central operational processes will converge here to make workflows even more efficient. The integration of security checks into these structures ensures that Cologne/Bonn continues to develop control over all essential processes – to the advantage of all partners at the airport and especially for travellers.
The investment programme includes a complete redesign of the security checks, the reconstruction of the immigration and emigration areas, 17 new catering units, the reopening of the hand luggage departure area and the comprehensive renewal of the furniture. The reopening of the duty-free areas and various shops has already taken place. These measures also contribute to the primary goal of further optimising the quality of the stay and the travel comfort for all guests at the airport.
