On Friday 1st December 2023, the groundbreaking ceremony for the major renovation project at Sønderborg Airport took place.
It was the chairman of the board of Bitten and Mads Clausen's Foundation, Per Egebæk Have, who together with former chairman Peter Mads Clausen, Mayor Erik Lauritzen and former chairman of the board of Danfoss, Jørgen Mads Clausen, put the shovels in the ground and thus marked the start of the largest construction project in a domestic airport in recent years.
I am very pleased that the modernisation of Sønderborg Airport is getting underway. We have a strong ambition to strengthen the area to support the continued growth of the business community. And in this respect, infrastructure, and easy and fast access to the rest of the world play an important role. This requires an airport in Southern Jutland that leads into the future by being modern, efficient, and built with sustainability in mind.
Per Egebæk Have, Chairman of the Board, Bitten & Mads Clausen's Foundation
Over the next four years, the airport will be renovated and modernised for more than 212 million kroner, making it future proof with a strong sustainable footprint. First, the outside areas will be updated and then a new terminal building will be constructed. The first step will be to replace the lighting and equipment on the runway with state-of-the-art equipment. An investment that alone amounts to around 90 million kroner.
Technological improvements are done first
A modern runway lighting system will be installed on the main runway, taxiways, and approaches, where the old system will be upgraded with a new LED solution. It is a more sustainable operating solution because LED lamps use far less power. It is also more efficient, and the maintenance costs are much lower. In addition, the existing ILS navigation system will be replaced with a new and modern system so that aircraft can be safely navigated down onto the runway in low visibility in a future-proof scenario.
Massive investment shows the level of ambition for the airport
Sønderborg Airport has existed since the late 1960s and has always been vital with a regular scheduled service to Copenhagen. Today, charter flights are also operated from the airport, and ambitions are high for the future. The goal is to reach 150,000 passengers per year. And the construction project is the largest investment in a domestic airport in Denmark in recent years.
With the development of the airport, we naturally hope to attract more operators and create more routes, preferably to a European hub that is in demand by the business community. The airport is a traffic hub of great importance – not only for Sønderborg Municipality, but for the whole of Southern Jutland.
Erik Lauritzen, Mayor, Sønderborg Municipality
What the new airport terminal will look like has not yet been decided. An architect will be selected for the project, and construction of the terminal building is expected to begin in mid-2025. The requirements for the project will include sustainability in the construction phase as well as in the subsequent operation. The entire construction is expected to be completed by mid-2027.
You can read more about Sønderborg Airport on the website:
