Meet The Winners: Airport Nürnberg

Airport Nürnberg (NUE), winner of the Under 5 Million Passenger category at the Routes Europe Awards in Aarhus, spoke to Routes about the recognition from its airline partners and recent route successes.

NUE has recovered 95% of its passenger volume compared to 2019 figures, surpassing the German average of 78%. The airport now serves 28 airlines and has rapidly increased its connectivity with 16 new destinations since 2019, bringing the total number of nonstop connections to 65.

The airport attributes its success to its proactive response to changing passenger behavior and an innovative long-term sales strategy designed to address post-pandemic challenges. This strategy, known as the “Blue Ocean Airport Nürnberg” campaign, focuses on avoiding heavily competitive markets and seeking unserved route opportunities with high demand for air connectivity. The campaign has been integrated into both route development and marketing efforts, ensuring alignment with airline partner needs.

During summer 2024, Eurowings has expanded its market share at NUE by opening a base and launching three new routes to Rome, Nice, and Bastia. Starting in winter 2024, the airline will also introduce a new service to Hamburg Airport, operating six times weekly, increasing its total destinations from NUE to 11.

Christian Käser, vice president of aviation sales and traffic development at NUE, stated that future air service targets focus on destinations around the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and the Nordic market.

Reflecting on the Routes Awards recognition, he added: “It’s fantastic and a great honor for us. We see it as a confirmation of our work because it is important to get such feedback from your airline partners that you are on the right track.”

Demonstrating its success in sustainable airline and passenger structure, NUE promotes its Blue Ocean Strategy, latest successes, and unserved route opportunities to the community through its Routes 360 profile.