Press: Munich Airport and Lufthansa optimize operations and reliability

Munich Airport reached a special milestone in passenger numbers today: At noon, the airport welcomed its one-billionth passenger since it opened in 1992. The airport celebrated this symbolic moment together with its partner, Lufthansa.

Munich Airport once again recorded significant traffic growth in 2025. A total of 43.4 million passengers used the Bavarian air traffic hub. Compared to the previous year, this represents an increase of 1.8 million passengers and thus passenger growth of +4.4%. This made Munich Airport the airport with the highest absolute passenger growth in the German-speaking region in 2025.

Etihad Airways is significantly strengthening its presence at Munich Airport: From September 1, 2026, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates will increase its service on the Munich–Abu Dhabi route from two to three daily nonstop flights. Etihad is thus further expanding its capacity at Bavaria's international air traffic hub. The new flights to the Arabian Gulf are now available for booking. 

Munich Airport welcomed a new carrier to Bavaria’s international hub with Air Arabia’s inaugural flight on December 15, 2025. The Pan-Arabian airline is now offering daily service between Munich Airport and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Parallel to the time change at the end of October, the new winter flight schedule will take effect. From October 26, 2025, to March 28, 2026, travelers will have a total of 184 destinations in 68 countries to choose from. Eleven of these destinations are in Germany, 119 are medium-haul destinations, and 54 are long-haul destinations. A total of 81 airlines will operate these routes during the winter season.

Even before its official end on October 25, the summer flight schedule period at Munich Airport is already showing an impressive development. Between March 31 and October 12, the airport recorded a growth of five percent in both passenger numbers and flight movements compared to the previous year. 

Munich Airport has kicked off Oktoberfest season together with Bavarian Minister of State for Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Tourism Michaela Kaniber, Airport CEO Jost Lammers, and Lufthansa Hub Manager Heiko Reitz. In Terminal 2, traditional costume groups from the Isargau Trachtenverband e. V. and Lufthansa’s traditional costume crew got everyone in the mood for the 190th “Wiesn” (Oktoberfest).

Air Arabia, a major low-cost airline in the Middle East, has announced the launch of a new route between Sharjah and Munich, set to take off on December 15, 2025. 

Today marks the first time that the five-star airline Cathay Pacific will offer flights between Munich and Hong Kong. The renowned Asian airline will connect these economic powerhouses four times a week — on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays — using a modern, fuel-efficient Airbus A350-900. 

This year, Munich Airport is celebrating a special anniversary together with Continental Airlines, now part of United Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and All Nippon Airways (ANA): For 15 years, a continuous partnership has existed with these three Star Alliance carriers. This collaboration reinforces Munich's position as a premium hub in international aviation.

Starting today, Kazakh airline SCAT is flying from Munich Airport to its hub in Shymkent [CIT]. Flights depart twice a week from Munich Airport – on Tuesdays at 11:35 a.m. and Thursdays at 9:30 a.m. Operating a Boeing 737-800, Kazakhstan's largest private airline reaches the city in the south of the country in around six hours. This connection adds another country to the Bavarian air traffic hub's global route network.