Sønderborg Airport to be developed and future-proofed

The owners of Sønderborg Airport have decided to invest a total of 212 million kroner in a comprehensive rebuilding and renovation to future-proof the airport. Bitten & Mads Clausen’s Foundation and Sønderborg Municipality are behind the largest investment in the history of Sønderborg Airport.

The investment will enable the airport to attract more operators and offer better facilities for travellers. The project is part of a larger plan to develop the area with a focus on infrastructure. The route between Sønderborg and Copenhagen is crucial in this context, and a strong alliance of business stakeholders must therefore be set up around the route in the future.

Since the 1960s, the tarmac and terminal of Sønderborg Airport have been available to operators providing regular flights to Copenhagen. In recent years, charter flights to various destinations in Europe have also been introduced. But after many years of operation, the airport’s buildings are now outdated, and therefore the owners have decided to rebuild and renovate for 212 million kroner.

Chairman of the Board of Bitten & Mads Clausen’s Foundation, Per Egebæk Have, explains the background for the large investment:

“The businesses of the region need a fast, efficient, and reliable connection to and from Southern Jutland in order to get to Copenhagen and the rest of the world. The importance of this route will only increase over time. With the decision to invest in a new terminal building and a modernization of the outside areas, the Foundation’s board has started a project that contributes to the development of the infrastructure. With this in mind, we look forward to creating a broad involvement of the business community around the airport so that the work can be developed and future-proofed in a strong set-up”.

Erik Lauritzen, Mayor of Sønderborg, adds:

“In Sønderborg Municipality, we have a strong tradition of cross-collaboration between the private and public sectors, and this has been a fundamental premise for the development we have seen in Sønderborg over the past many years. The collaboration on the development of Sønderborg Airport is once again proof of this. The airport is a traffic hub of great importance to the entire region – especially for businesses, but also for private individuals. With a new terminal and other improvements around Sønderborg Airport, we are securing the future of the airport for the benefit of Sønderborg Municipality and all of Southern Jutland”.

Sønderborg Airport is being rebuilt in stages

The project is called “Masterplan for Sønderborg Airport” and it has been a long time in the making. The original plans were to invest heavily in everything from a new runway to expanding the entire airport area. With this agreement, it has instead been decided to divide the project into stages, starting with stages 1 and 2, which include a new terminal building in sustainable materials and a general modernization of the airport’s existing areas. A project worth 212 million kroner, of which Sønderborg Municipality and Bitten & Mads Clausen’s Foundation will each contribute 46 million kroner to the expansion of the airport, while the Foundation will also build a new terminal building, which will be leased to the airport.

“When we created the early visions, there was economic growth in Denmark. But after the pandemic, war and energy crisis, the world looks different, so we have chosen to take one step at a time and adapt to the new reality. Still, this is a significant investment in a Danish domestic airport, which we believe will be crucial for Sønderborg and Southern Jutland in the future”, says Per Egebæk Have.

“The municipal council supports the modernization of Sønderborg Airport, and the Municipality’s contribution of 46 million kroner is the remainder of a previous political allocation, where the funds have been allocated for several years to develop the airport. The modernization of the airport and better facilities are essential for the entire Sønderborg area, not least to ensure a qualified workforce and attract newcomers”, says Mayor Erik Lauritzen.

The project will start in 2024 and is expected to be completed in 2027.