CPH calls for European health pass

A common European COVID health pass must be implemented to “open the world and restore mobility,” the chief commercial officer of Copenhagen Airport (CPH) has said.

CPH has suffered an 85.5% fall in passenger numbers year-on-year for October 2020, and is currently borrowing “double-digit millions of Danish kroner every month just to stay open," CCO Peter Krogsgaard revealed.

Daily arrivals and departures have fallen from 800 last year to 200, while CPH’s airlines are experiencing load factors of about 30%, the airport said.

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More than 6,000 people employed by the 700-plus businesses operating in and around the airport have now lost their jobs.

“The one thing that can turn the situation around in the longer term is a vaccine,” Krogsgaard said. “For the intermediate term, we will need a common European COVID health pass. That would allow people to travel safely without the risk of spreading or contracting the disease.”

Research carried out by CPH shows that currently business travelers account for rough one third of traffic, with the “vast majority” of the remainder being VFR traffic.

“COVID-19 infection rates are going up in Denmark and the rest of the world, and travel restrictions have been tightened further,” Krogsgaard said. “With no immediate improvements in sight, the coronavirus crisis has sent the aviation industry deep into the red. This goes for both airports and airlines.”

Photo credit: Copenhagen Airport

Wesley Charnock

Wesley Charnock is Content Marketing Director for Aviation Week Network.