Stuttgart Airport recorded positive developments in the 2023 financial year, as the airport announced. Despite ongoing challenges, including the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and structural changes in the aviation sector, the airport recorded an increase in passenger numbers and revenue.

The airport's turnover increased to 249,5 million euros compared to the previous year, while the result improved at -13,6 million euros, compared to -16,1 million euros in 2022. This shows a positive development despite the ongoing uncertainties in the aviation sector.

The number of passengers also increased significantly and reached 8,4 million, an increase of 20,7 percent. Despite this encouraging increase, the passenger level is still around 66 percent of the pre-crisis level. The number of flight movements also rose by 7,3 percent to 92.074.

Ulrich Heppe, spokesman for the management of Flughafen Stuttgart GmbH, emphasized the positive aspects of the company's results and the expectations for the current financial year. He emphasized that EBITDA as an indicator of operational performance was clearly positive at 24,7 million euros and was better than planned. Demand for air travel remains high, indicating that people still want to travel.

Influence of the withdrawal of low-cost airlines and slow recovery from Corona consequences

Despite the overall positive development of Stuttgart Airport, it should be noted that the withdrawal of several low-cost airlines such as Easyjet, Ryanair, Laudamotion and the bankruptcy of Blue Air in 2020 led to a loss of passengers. These airlines played an important role in the airport's passenger traffic and their withdrawal had a noticeable impact on passenger numbers.

The slow recovery from the effects of the corona pandemic was also influenced by the withdrawal of these low-cost airlines. While other airports may have seen a quicker recovery, Stuttgart Airport had to contend with a slower increase in passenger numbers as the loss of these airlines left a gap in flight offerings.

STRzero climate strategy and future outlook

Despite the challenges, Stuttgart Airport has made important progress in its commitment to sustainability. With the adoption of the future agreement to implement the STRzero climate strategy for net greenhouse gas-neutral airport operations by 2040, the airport has paved the way for concrete measures to reduce its environmental impact.

Carsten Poralla, Managing Director of Flughafen Stuttgart GmbH, emphasizes the importance of climate protection and the airport's investments in this goal. With an investment volume of more than 2 billion euros, Stuttgart Airport is aiming to bring its emissions at the location to zero. These ambitious plans are intended to make the airport a sustainable and environmentally friendly hub for travelers in the long term.