Traffic developments at the Central German airports exceeded the average for the sector – passenger numbers started to recover – and the amount of freight handled at Leipzig/Halle Airport showed solid growth – but the volume of traffic declined

1,880,276 paying passengers passed through the two commercial airports at Leipzig/Halle and Dresden, which are both operated by Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG, during the first half of 2009. This represents a fall of 5.7 percent over the same period in the previous year. But the figures also reflect a slight upward trend, as the decline in the first quarter of 2009 was 6.6 percent. This positive trend is expected to continue as a result of the flights that are available, which have remained stable both in terms of quantity and quality – and have recently been boosted by the addition of direct connections from the Central German airports to the Russian capital, Moscow.

1,080,252 passengers passed through Leipzig/Halle Airport during the last six months. In comparison with the first half of 2008, this represents a reduction in passenger numbers of 4.3 percent.
Meanwhile, only 800,024 passengers used Dresden Airport, a decline of 7.7 percent. The German Airports Association (ADV) recorded a fall of 7.9 percent at all German airports. So both the Central German airports were able to sustain their position above the average figure for the sector.

A total of 45,189 flights were recorded at the Central German airports during the first half of 2009, which is a fall of 2.2 percent over the figure for the same period in the previous year. But Leipzig/Halle registered stable traffic figures with growth of 0.6 percent (28,503 take-offs and landings) as a result of the launch of full operations at the DHL hub based there. In this connection, Leipzig/Halle was the only significant German commercial airport to set a new record in terms of the amount of freight handled – 236,816.8 tonnes, an increase of 21.9 percent; as a result, Leipzig/Halle significantly sets itself apart from the figures issued by the ADV, which show an average decline in freight volumes of 15.4 percent. The number of flights at Dresden fell by 6.6 percent to 16,686 take-offs and landings.

Mitteldeutsche Airport Holding is the overall trade name used by Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG, a company operated by the public sector. The group has several subsidiary companies: Leipzig/Halle Airport, Dresden International Airport, PortGround and EasternAirCargo.
The group handled 96,892 aircraft movements, 4.32 million passengers and 442.750 tonnes of freight in 2008. The group directly employs 970 members of staff and trainees. More than 7000 people are employed at the Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG business sites in various companies and public authorities.