Annual Report 2012 (PDF) - Hamburg

Interview with the Executive Board
“2012 was a year with rough edges”
From an economic point of view, the 2012 financial year was full of challenges. In
Europe, states like Greece and Spain continued to struggle with their public finances,
and the financial and banking sector experienced only mild relief. Preliminary calculations
from the German Federal Statistics Office suggest that the real gross domestic
product of the Federal Republic of Germany grew by only 0.7 percent over 2011.
“Germany’s weak economic growth was also reflected
in the aviation industry. How did this affect Hamburg
Airport?”
Michael Eggenschwiler: “2012 was a year with rough edges.
Looking at the market environment, there were more
unpleasant surprises than any of us would have liked. Right
at the start of the year, three European airlines ceased operations:
Cirrus Airlines, Malév and Spanair. In summer, Air
Berlin announced cutbacks to take effect from autumn. We
managed to find a new partner to take over every route that
was lost, but we could not completely compensate for the
loss of passengers. Whilst the 13.7 million passengers represented,
once again, a new high water mark for Hamburg
Airport, we would have liked to see more.”
Claus-Dieter Wehr: “And now, we can only wait and see
what the developments within the Lufthansa Group will
mean for Hamburg Airport. It is clear that Frankfurt and
Munich will be the only destinations still served by the core
Lufthansa brand. All the other routes are being taken over
by the low-cost subsidiary, Germanwings. We hope that
passengers will accept this change.”
“The federal political environment was not particularly
cooperative in 2012. How has this affected the viability of
German airports?”
Michael Eggenschwiler: “The Aviation Tax continues to be
a major burden on the industry. This is especially the case
with domestic traffic where it hits passengers twice – for
domestic flights, the Aviation Tax is levied for both the outbound
and the inbound flight. The price is a decisive factor
in choosing a flight. Domestic German traffic has declined
by 6.0 percent, and the number of Danish passengers has
also gone down. It is simply incomprehensible that the federal
government should weaken this industry by imposing
such an international competitive disadvantage. An industry
that stands for growth and mobility in a way that no other
industry can.”
Claus-Dieter Wehr: “And at the European level, too, there
are forces in action that are guided more by principles of
liberalisation than they are by fairness. The airports package
proposed by European Commissioner for Transport,
Siim Kallas, demands further liberalisation of the market
for ground handling services despite significant price reductions
and quality improvements over recent years. This
means even more competition in a market that is small as
it is. The consequences are further cuts in pay, and it is the
employees who suffer. Through joint action, employers and
employees have managed to get the European Parliament
to turn down the regulation for the time being. But the issue
is not over yet.”
Michael Eggenschwiler: “I want to make one thing very
clear: Hamburg has given us great political support in all
important issues – from all sides of politics. Such local
backing is important if we are to succeed at the federal or
European level.”
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