Increased expansion at Baden-Airpark corresponds with longer wait durations - Airport expansion results in extended wait times at Baden
Rapid Growth at Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport Causes Delays and Long Wait Times
Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport is grappling with a surge in passenger numbers, leading to long wait times and delays. This growth, partly attributed to low-cost carriers like Wizz Air, has been extraordinary and nationwide unusual.
CDU state parliamentarian Cornelia von Loga has criticised the responses to her request as very disappointing and plans to discuss the issue in the transport committee. The airport operator, Baden-Airpark GmbH, reported that around 1,600 out of 500,000 departing travelers in the first half of the year did not board their flight, mainly due to people arriving too late or not at all at the airport.
The service provider at the airport, Swissport, manages modern air cargo warehouses and supports airlines, indicating investments in efficient cargo and operational handling. However, staff shortages are making it difficult for the service provider to maintain a sufficient staff.
To manage operational capacity and improve infrastructure, measures such as extending security lanes, including the tray return, and deploying an additional explosives trace detector during peak periods have been implemented. On particularly busy flight days, a reserve is planned to cover any sick leave.
The Ministry of Transport advises travelers to plan for possible delays during check-in due to the growth and recommends being at the security checkpoint at least 90 to 120 minutes before boarding. A redistribution of the flight schedule at Baden-Airpark is desirable to cope with the increase.
Incidents at other airports where people miss their flights due to problems at the controls, such as Münster/Osnabrück Airport, occasionally make headlines. Nationwide uniformly high failure rates exacerbate the staff shortage issue, leading to 0.14% of departing passengers at Baden-Airpark being affected by delays at the security controls and unable to board their flight.
Despite these challenges, no specific mention of ongoing construction or terminal expansion projects at Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport to reduce delays was found in the current search results. RPS is supporting the company in permanently hiring more staff to address the staff shortage issue.
Typical mitigation strategies at airports with rapid passenger growth include enhancing terminal facilities, expanding check-in, security and baggage systems, increasing staffing, and adjusting flight scheduling to better manage peak periods. However, confirmation of these strategies at Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden is not found in the latest data.
As the airport continues to grow, it is essential for measures to be taken to ensure the smooth running of operations and to minimise delays and long wait times for passengers. The transport committee will discuss the issue, and it is hoped that concrete solutions will be proposed and implemented in the near future.
Community policy discussions might be necessary to address the staff shortage issue at the airport, considering industry standards and finance implications. The employment policy should also be reviewed to attract more workers and improve efficiency in transportation services.
The extraordinary growth at Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport requires robust industry solutions, such as enhancing terminal facilities, expanding check-in, security, and baggage systems, increasing staffing, and adjusting flight scheduling to better manage peak periods.
