New Copenhagen Airport chief executive Thomas Woldbye believes it is important for airports, many of which operate with little competition, to be aware of what is happening around them.
"Sometimes you have to look over the fence," he said during the World Route Development Forum in Berlin. "We need to lift our sights and realise there will be more competition among European airports and it becomes more important to know what your market is."
The company has been undertaking a strategic study to set out its future vision, which will be finalised later this year, and will also address its future capacity requirements - likely to include a new terminal.
"We are trying to position Copenhagen as more of a European hub," Woldbye added, saying he sees competition coming more from bigger European airports such as Schiphol and the new Berlin facility than neighbouring Stockholm and Oslo.
Key growth areas for the airport are likely to be in-bound tourism and transfer traffic.
Woldbye highlighted the growth it has seen, for example, in the Middle East, with the arrival at Copenhagen of Etihad Airways, Gulf Air and Qatar Airways during the past 15 months.
In particular, it is looking towards Asia. "When you look at it as a European hub for people flying from China, Copenhagen is one of the first places you reach. So it is a natural fit," Woldbye said.
Egen kommentar: Hårete ambisjoner fra København, men også en tanke arrogant ikke å regne Stockholm Arlanda og Oslo Gardermoen som konkurrenter. Disse lufthavnene vokser mye raskere enn CPH for tiden, og har heller ikke noen dårligere beliggenhet for Asia-trafikk. Både ARN og OSL ligger nærmere PEK og PVG enn CPH. I tillegg tror jeg CPHs nærhet til nye BBI er en ulempe for CPH - fordi man får en stor konkurrent "i bakgården". Men det er kanskje dette som tvinger fram en ny strategi for at CPH skal beholde posisjonen sin i Skandinavia.
"Sometimes you have to look over the fence," he said during the World Route Development Forum in Berlin. "We need to lift our sights and realise there will be more competition among European airports and it becomes more important to know what your market is."
The company has been undertaking a strategic study to set out its future vision, which will be finalised later this year, and will also address its future capacity requirements - likely to include a new terminal.
"We are trying to position Copenhagen as more of a European hub," Woldbye added, saying he sees competition coming more from bigger European airports such as Schiphol and the new Berlin facility than neighbouring Stockholm and Oslo.
Key growth areas for the airport are likely to be in-bound tourism and transfer traffic.
Woldbye highlighted the growth it has seen, for example, in the Middle East, with the arrival at Copenhagen of Etihad Airways, Gulf Air and Qatar Airways during the past 15 months.
In particular, it is looking towards Asia. "When you look at it as a European hub for people flying from China, Copenhagen is one of the first places you reach. So it is a natural fit," Woldbye said.
Egen kommentar: Hårete ambisjoner fra København, men også en tanke arrogant ikke å regne Stockholm Arlanda og Oslo Gardermoen som konkurrenter. Disse lufthavnene vokser mye raskere enn CPH for tiden, og har heller ikke noen dårligere beliggenhet for Asia-trafikk. Både ARN og OSL ligger nærmere PEK og PVG enn CPH. I tillegg tror jeg CPHs nærhet til nye BBI er en ulempe for CPH - fordi man får en stor konkurrent "i bakgården". Men det er kanskje dette som tvinger fram en ny strategi for at CPH skal beholde posisjonen sin i Skandinavia.
