Copenhagen Airport - History

History

• 1925 (1925) – CPH opens for service on 20 April. One of the first private airports in the world, it opens with a grass runway.
• 1932 (1932) – 6000 take-offs and landings in the year.
• 1936 (1936) – 1939 New terminal, considered one of the finest examples of Nordic functionalism, is built (Architect: Vilhelm Lauritzen).
• 1941 (1941) – First hard-surface runway is built.
• 1946 (1946) – SAS is founded, an important event for Copenhagen Airport, as Copenhagen was to be the main hub for the airline. Traffic increases rapidly in the first years SAS operates. Also, Copenhagen Airport becomes Europe's third-largest.
• 1947 (1947) – On 26 January, a KLM DC-3 crashes at the airport after stopping en route to Stockholm. 22 people die, including the Swedish prince Gustav Adolf, and the American opera singer Grace Moore.
• 1948 (1948) – 150 take-offs and landings per day, and 3000 passengers are handled per day.
• 1950 (1950) – 378,000 passengers are handled.
• 1954 (1954) – 11,000 tonnes of freight handled per year. SAS begins the world's first trans-polar route, flying initially to Los Angeles. The route proves to be a publicity coup, and for some years Copenhagen becomes a popular transit point for Hollywood stars and producers flying to Europe.
• 1956 (1956) – 1 million passengers handled per year. CPH wins the award for the world's best airport.
• 1960s – With the advent of jet airliners, debate begins about a major expansion of the airport. Jets need longer runways than had previously been used, and plans are drawn up to expand the airport either into existing communities in Kastrup or onto Saltholm, a small island. Local protests ensue and expansion is stalled for some time.
• 1960 (1960) – On 30 April, Terminal 2, also designed by Lauritzen, opens. Also, a new control tower opens and the airport handles 2 million passengers per year.
• 1970s (1970s) – The airport suffers from acute space shortages, especially with the advent of large jets such as 747s. After initially deciding to expand to Saltholm, the project is eventually blocked by Denmark's parliament.
• 1973 (1973) – 8 million passengers handled per year. The third (long) runway opens and the dual runway system (04L/22R-04R/22L) opens, strongly expanding the capacity of possible numbers of starts and landings.
• 1982 (1982) – The Cargo terminal opens.
• 1986 (1986) – A parking garage with 2400 spaces opens.
• 1991 (1991) – The airport is partially privatised.
• 1998 (1998) – Terminal 3 opens, and the airport handles 17 million (international) passengers per year.
• 1999 (1999) – Baggage handling system is modernised, and the Vilhelm Lauritzen terminal is moved 3.8 km down the runway to make room for new terminals, a hotel, and a train station for regional trains opens..
• 2000 (2000) – The airport handles 18.4 million passengers per year. The train system becomes international, linking the airport also to southern Sweden.
• 2001 (2001) – A five-star Hilton hotel with 382 beds opens at the airport. 267,000 take-offs and landings.
• 2005 (2005) – Macquaire Airport buys 52% of stocks.
• 2006 (2006) – Number of passengers exceeds 20 million for the first time (20.9 million).
• 2007 (2007) – A metro station opens, connecting the airport to the Copenhagen Metro.
• 2008 (2008) – A new control tower is opened by Naviair as part of a major renovation of the ATC system. Airport officials announce plan to build a new low-cost terminal at the facility, which is expected to be completed by 2010.
• 2009 (2009) – Macquaire Airport is spun off as MAp Airports.
• 2010 (2010) – The new low cost terminal CPH Go opens the 31st of October.
• 2011 (2011) – 22.725.517 passengers are handled. A record high.