Düsseldorf Airport Statistics

Düsseldorf Airport (DUS) is Germany’s fourth busiest airport and a key aviation hub for the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, one of Europe’s largest economic areas with approximately 18 million residents within a 100-kilometer radius.

Düsseldorf Airport handles approximately 20 million passengers annually, reflecting a strong recovery from pandemic-era lows, though still below pre-pandemic records.

• DUS processed 21.03 million passengers in 2025, a 4.9% increase from 20.04 million in 2024.
• The airport reached an all-time high of 25.51 million passengers in 2019 before the COVID-19 crisis led to a dramatic decline.
• Passenger traffic fell 74.2% to 6.6 million in 2020, one of the steepest drops among major European airports.
• Recovery began in 2021 with 7.95 million passengers, increased to 16.07 million in 2022, and reached 19.12 million in 2023.

Domestic vs International Travellers

Düsseldorf Airport serves a largely international market, with European routes accounting for the majority of traffic while domestic travel remains well below pre-pandemic levels.

• Domestic routes carried 1.66 million passengers in 2025, making up 7.9% of total traffic and recovering to only 39.1% of 2019 volumes.
• European routes handled 16.96 million passengers, or 80.6% of the total, representing a recovery to 93.1% of 2019 levels.
• Non-European international routes carried 2.39 million passengers, accounting for 11.4% of total traffic.
• The remaining 0.1% belongs to transit passengers.

Eurowings continues to lead flight operations at Düsseldorf Airport, maintaining its position following the collapse of Air Berlin in 2017. Leisure carriers also contribute significantly to traffic.

• Eurowings carried 8.52 million passengers in 2025 (approximately 40.5% market share).
• Condor followed with 1.77 million passengers.
• SunExpress transported 1.53 million passengers.
• TUIfly handled 1.03 million passengers.
• Pegasus Airlines completed the top five with 906,609 passengers.

• The airport's official website lists 166 destinations, while other industry sources report between 171 and over 200, depending on the season and charter activity.
• The route network is heavily focused on European destinations, reflecting Düsseldorf’s role as a regional hub for both business and leisure travel.
• Routes vary seasonally, with summer offering the most extensive coverage.
• Both scheduled and charter flights are included in the destination count, with charter services driving seasonal fluctuations.

Cargo operations at Düsseldorf Airport have declined significantly over the past decade, as the airport has shifted its focus toward passenger services.

• The airport processed 37,317 metric tonnes in 2025, slightly down from 38,919 metric tonnes recorded in 2024.
• Pre-pandemic cargo volume totaled 66,047 metric tonnes in 2019.
• A sharp drop followed during the pandemic, with cargo falling 68.3% to 20,936 metric tonnes in 2020.
• The years that followed showed slow recovery, with 22,538 metric tonnes handled in 2021 and 23,707 metric tonnes in 2022.
• By 2023, volume rose to 29,567 metric tonnes, which was still 55.2% lower than 2019 levels.

Düsseldorf Airport generates over €400 million in revenue annually, with figures fluctuating over the years, due to the pandemic.

• Total revenue reached €501.1 million in 2019 before dropping sharply to €187.7 million in 2020 due to pandemic impacts.
• The airport saw a partial recovery to €244.7 million in 2021, followed by further growth to €368.3 million in 2022.
• Revenue continued rising to €414.0 million in 2023 and reached €448.4 million in 2024, approaching pre-pandemic levels, and €474.8 million in 2025.

• 22 December 1955: A Manx Airlines Douglas C-47 crashed three miles from the airport during a visual approach in low clouds. All three onboard were killed.
• 3 November 1957: A Karl Herfurtner Douglas C-54 crashed 4.5 km south of the airport after takeoff due to pilot error. The crash killed six people onboard and one person on the ground.