Copenhagen Airport Names Permanent CEO

Copenhagen Airport (CPH) has confirmed former COO Christian Poulsen as its permanent CEO. Poulsen has been acting CEO since late September when Thomas Woldbye departed to take the reins at London Heathrow Airport.

“Christian Poulsen has the qualities that are important for the position," CPH Chairman Lars Nørby Johansen says. "He possesses a unique combination of having an in-depth knowledge of the airport and its many stakeholders, and he is also an extremely competent leader who can ensure that the airport continues its positive development and maintains momentum."

Poulsen has been at the airport for the past 14 years and held the role of COO for four years. “I look forward to using my insight and experience from my years at the airport to continue developing the airport and taking it to a new level for the benefit of passengers, business partners and Danish infrastructure,” he says.

CPH is in the process of several major initiatives, including developing Terminal 3 to feature a larger open area for passengers and a new reclaim hall for baggage handling. Earlier this month, the Danish government also passed a new law that will enable the airport to better utilize existing areas and adapt to new types of aircraft. This will allow it to shift the cross runway towards Øresund, making room for new runway stands for fuel-efficient aircraft.

The expansion comes as traffic continues to recover at Denmark’s largest gateway. The latest figures show that 2.5 million passengers passed through CPH in October 2023, representing a 12% year-on-year increase.

During the current winter season, there are 228 routes from the airport—eight more than last year and one more than in 2019—including 13 new services to destinations in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Recent route successes include SAS Scandinavian Airlines’ return to Bangkok after a 10-year absence and Etihad Airways launching a route from Abu Dhabi.

Additionally, Wizz Air has opened new routes to Kutaisi, Georgia, and Katowice, Poland, while Ryanair this month opened a two-aircraft base with new service to Paris Beauvais and Poland's Warsaw Modlin. The move comes eight years after Ryanair closed its base at the airport.