Status: 07/12/2023 08:30 am
Flying in 2022 is no fun: delays, cancellations, problems with luggage. What is the situation at Hamburg Airport before the start of the summer holidays?
Anticipation was great, and the wait for the flight into the sun lasted forever: Marabou Airlines flight MBU 6632 from Hamburg to Corfu was due to depart on time at 6am on June 19, 2023. According to airport data, the Boeing 737 took off with a significant delay – more than 15 hours. A relaxed start to the holidays sounds different.
Late rates in the last few days
“Versätet/Delayed” – these words will appear again and again on the departure board at Hamburg Airport this summer. Air travelers will have to be patient again this year. In the last few weeks, the delay rate has been between 50 and 90 percent. This was due to a large scale military training.Air Defender 2023” – but even after that, delays are still the order of the day.
Strikes by air traffic controllers in France, difficulties in Poland and the narrowing of European airspace by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine are some of the reasons for last year’s difficulties. In addition, many airlines and airports did not expect the corona restrictions to end so quickly, so there was a shortage of staff everywhere. Airlines and airports initially assumed post-corona passenger numbers would not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2025.
Estimate: Air traffic will increase by ten percent
Some problems still remain. This year could be even tighter in the aerospace sectors in Germany and Europe. “Looking at the next six months, we expect a further ten percent increase in air traffic to and from Germany compared to the same period last year,” says Alexander Kley, spokesman for the Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry. But: it’s only 83 percent of pre-corona levels in 2019. Traffic to Southern Europe accounts for the largest share of total traffic, at 95 percent, almost back to 2019 levels.
Commercial airspace in Europe is controlled by Area Control Centers (ACCs). There are three centers in Germany operated by Deutsche Flugsicherung: Bremen, Langen and Munich. Bremen (airport over northern Germany) and Langen are particularly interesting for summer travelers from northern Germany. Because if you want to fly to the Mediterranean from Hamburg, Bremen or Hanover, your flight will have to cross the Langen sector. Things got tighter there after the war in Ukraine. Here are the flight numbers for Bremen ACC and Langen ACC compared to the previous year:
Risk of delay especially after noon
Planes bringing vacationers south fly back and forth between Germany and the Mediterranean several times a day. Small delays can be added at each stop. Hence, the risk of delay increases significantly from noon onwards. So if you fly from Hamburg in the afternoon, be prepared for delays.
The Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry, to which the major airlines are affiliated, emphasizes that investments have been made in additional fleets and reserve aircraft. “However, waiting times at individual checkpoints, especially at security checkpoints, cannot be ruled out in the run-up to holidays. This area is very demanding,” says Clay.
Long waits at security check
This is also a big problem in Hamburg: queues in front of the security check. The problem is that the airport itself can’t do much about it. This is because the Federal Police, whose sovereign task is to control security, has delegated the controls to service provider FraSec. Federal police headquarters in Hanover said the designated security service provider had a significantly shorter absence due to illness.
Current waiting times are shown on the airport’s website. Passengers can now book slots for security checks. With the “Slot&Fly” service, passengers have the opportunity to book a time slot up to 72 hours before departure. The airport has also taken steps to:
- Waiting times before security check on the airport’s website
- Peak Times display on the website – This provides information on how crowded the airport is on average at what time
- Support for security service providers with additional airport staff
- Hamburg Airport and its subsidiaries have re-intensified their search for staff and are looking to recruit workers from abroad.
Airlines delay time
The following table shows the delay times of flights departing from Hamburg Airport. They show data for the last 100 departures (or if airlines fly less). You can search the schedule or scroll through the pages to see additional airlines.
Airlines that rarely fly from Hamburg are further up the list. You often can’t compensate for flights with long delays by departing on time. One airline that flies frequently and accumulates relatively frequent long delays is Marabu Airlines. Marabu is a new company and sister airline of Condor – always in the headlines. After a bumpy start, the airline sees itself on the right track. The airline explains the delay of flight MBU 6632 as follows: The scheduled engine failed due to a technical problem and a replacement flight had to arrive from Cyprus.
Account for delays
Anyone flying this summer should therefore know what to expect – similar to the highway traffic jams at the start of the holiday season. You can also make arrangements for waiting time at the airport. A tip for frequent travelers: Take an empty water bottle with you to the gate area. Hamburg Airport has several free drinking water dispensers. So you don’t have to die of thirst.
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