Group Annual Report for 2020 - Seite 2

It is estimated that 10,000 jobs have been lost in the Danish aviation sector – the majority in the 1,000 or so companies in and around Copenhagen Airport. In summer 2020, CPH therefore joined with the unions, SAS, the Danish Ministry of Employment and Tårnby Municipality to open a job and advice centre at Copenhagen Airport, which has been a success.

The five must-win battles of the crisis
The coronavirus pandemic has put many of the activities of the Architects of the Future Airport strategy on hold. But the objective remains the same: to create a future-proof, innovative airport. During the crisis, the whole organisation came together to fight five must-win battles:

• To ensure a safe, comfortable and positive travel experience for passengers
• To safeguard teamwork and motivation in the organisation
• To simplify working processes and reduce bureaucracy for the future
• To focus on lower expenditure and minimise costs
• To protect and develop our revenue streams

       
Fear of becoming infected while travelling, complicated and differing coronavirus rules in every country, new travel restrictions every Thursday and the prospect of a long spell of quarantine – all this kept 75% of passengers at home in 2020. With the “Let’s travel with care” initiative, in the spring and summer CPH’s employees implemented everything from face masks, hand sanitiser, plexiglass, extra cleaning and distance markers in the terminals to extra security and service personnel guiding passengers through the airport.

CPH also closed 40% of the terminal area and combined operations to give passengers a better experience – and the airlines, ground handlers and authorities better working conditions.

CPH investing in the future
Before the coronavirus hit, CPH was investing around DKK 2 billion annually in developing the airport. The whole investment programme was revisited, not least the numerous building projects. Some were put on hold, while others went ahead because it would have been too costly to stop them.

This was the case, for example, with the second phase of Pier E, the opening of which in October marked the end of the single largest capacity project for decades. The new terminal building has flexible stands and gates, boarding bridges and flexible bus gates, taxiways and a brand-new passport control area.

The building is adorned with William Soya’s brilliant ceiling-installed sculpture, which was donated by the Danish Arts Foundation and Kolding Municipality. The new Pier E is not just a beautiful and efficient terminal. It has also proven particularly well suited to the safe processing and testing of passengers during the pandemic.