Most popular destinations are around the Mediterranean. Self-bag drop stations now also available for Ryanair customers.
The starting signal for the peak travel season: Cologne Bonn Airport expects the first wave of travellers of the year with the start of the Easter holidays from Friday. From the last day of school on 11 April up to and including 27 April, the airport expects more than 485,000 passengers. Compared to last year, when the Easter holidays were earlier and included a week during the quieter winter flight schedule, this represents an increase of around 14 per cent.
‘For us, the Easter holidays mark the start of the peak travel season, which extends well into the autumn. Many holidaymakers, especially families, are now being drawn primarily to the south,’ says Thilo Schmid, Chairman of the Management Board of Flughafen Köln/Bonn GmbH. ’Together with our numerous partners, we have prepared well for the increase in passenger numbers: with optimised processes and measures to further enhance the quality of the stay, we want to ensure that our guests have a pleasant start to their holidays.’
Traditionally, the airport expects the highest numbers of travellers on weekends. From Friday to Sunday, around 87,000 passengers will travel through Cologne/Bonn for the start of the holidays. Over the Easter weekend – from Good Friday up to and including Easter Monday – there will be almost 120,000 passengers. On the last holiday weekend, around 92,000 travellers are expected at the airport. The busiest day of the holiday period is expected to be the last Sunday, when more than 33,000 passengers will take off or land at Cologne Bonn Airport on 27 April.
Sunny destinations around the Mediterranean are particularly in demand during the Easter holidays, with Spain (around 124,000 travellers) and Turkey (123,000) leading the way. Many passengers are also drawn to Italy, Egypt, Portugal and Greece, but also to the UK. The most popular destinations are Antalya (61,000 passengers) and Palma de Mallorca (60,000). The Turkish metropolis of Istanbul (41,000) is also one of the most popular destinations.
Expansion of digital services and improvement of the quality of stay
In order to make the stay at the airport even more pleasant for passengers, Cologne Bonn Airport has continued to invest in optimising processes and expanding digital services in recent months. With immediate effect, passengers of the airline Ryanair can also check in their baggage at self-bag drop-off stations, in addition to customers of Eurowings, Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines. Eight kiosks are now available in the airline's check-in area in Terminal 1. Here, passengers can use the Ryanair app on their smartphone to print their baggage labels and then check in their bags independently. In addition, all travellers can continue to use ‘CGNGateWay’ to book a fixed time slot for the security check – now even up to 100 days before departure.
The range of food and drink options has also been expanded: several new outlets have opened in the terminals in recent weeks – both in the public and security areas. These include a Turkish bakery, an Asian restaurant and an Italian restaurant. The reopening of the hand luggage exit in Terminal 1 also provides additional convenience. It enables passengers without checked baggage to reach the car parks or the airport railway station even faster.
Travel advice for passengers
Passengers can help ensure a relaxed start to their journey by planning and preparing well. Here are some tips:
- Check in online.
- Find out from your airline or tour operator about check-in desk opening hours and allow plenty of time.
- Check in good time to ensure that your ID is valid and that you have the correct travel documents for your trip.
- You can check in for Eurowings flights the night before.
- As a customer of Eurowings, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Ryanair, you can use the self-bag drop-off service in Terminal 1.
- Book a time slot for the security check via the airport's homepage at ‘CGNGateWay’.
- Please only take one item of hand luggage with you if possible.
- Liquids and creams (up to 100ml per container) must be stored in a resealable 1-litre plastic bag.
- Do not pack technical devices at the bottom of your hand luggage; they must be shown at the security checkpoint.
If travelling by car, we recommend booking a parking space in advance on the airport homepage:
https://www.cologne-bonn-airport.com/en/passengers/parking/reserve-a-parking-space.html
Further tips can be found on the airport homepage:
https://www.cologne-bonn-airport.com/en/passengers/travel-preparation/checklist.html
