Hamburg Airport CEO Laments Missing A321XLR Long-Haul Route to Luxembourg
Hamburg Airport's CEO expressed frustration that Luxembourg secured a long-haul A321XLR route while Hamburg has not yet attracted USA service, and discussed passenger growth, regional conflict effects, and non-Schengen area plans.
Hamburg Airport CEO Christian Kunsch said it pains him that Luxembourg will receive a long-haul route operated with the Airbus A321XLR while Hamburg has not yet secured one. In an interview, he discussed the airport's first-half 2026 performance, noting passenger growth of around 1.5 percent, the highest among Germany's seven largest airports.
Kunsch attributed some softening to the Iran conflict, which he said cost the airport several thousand passengers per week, mainly on routes to the Middle East, Dubai, and Turkey. He expects the second half of the year to be slightly weaker as airlines adjust capacity.
He highlighted new Easyjet service to Geneva starting in September, plus other new destinations, though Lufthansa reduced frequencies to Frankfurt after ending Cityline operations. Kunsch also mentioned the airport is considering a dedicated non-Schengen area.
Sources
- aerotelegraph.com«Es schmerzt schon, dass Luxemburg eine Langstrecke mit dem Airbus A321 XLR bekommt und Hamburg nicht»
- aerotelegraph.com«Es schmerzt schon, dass Luxemburg eine Langstrecke mit dem Airbus A321 XLR bekommt und Hamburg nicht»