Stuttgart is a pleasant historic town in southwest Germany, with a population of just under three million people. It is a popular tourist destination for travellers looking for ancient castles and palaces. It is also one of the most significant industrial hubs in the country, and the home of some of the most important automobile factories in Europe.
It is no surprise therefore, that Stuttgart Airport City is not only one of the most complete transportation hubs in the region, catering to both business travellers and tourists, but is also Business Destinations’ Best Airport, Europe, 2014. With over 9.5 million travellers passing through annually, it is one of the busier airports in Germany, and a gateway to southwest Germany. Stuttgart is more than just an airport – it is a direct growth-driver for the region, attracting both businesses and visitors. With direct links to Stuttgart City and the adjoining business parks and towns, Stuttgart’s Airport City is a shining beacon of efficient infrastructure investment.
Projected for completion in 2021, Airport City will feature hotels, business centres, train and bus terminals, a hospital, and countless other facilities that will support the airport proper and create a complex that reaches far beyond transport – an epicentre of infrastructure. Professor Georg Fundel, MD of Stuttgart Airport City, spoke to Business Destinations about how the development will revolutionise the way people travel to and from the region, and the many business opportunities that will arise from the project.
Stuttgart’s Airport City is a shining beacon of efficient
infrastructure investment
How does Stuttgart Airport drive growth in the region?
Baden-Württemberg state has one of the strongest economies not only in Germany, but in all of Europe. The metropolitan area of Stuttgart is home to many internationally renowned companies in the automotive and machine building industry – just think of Porsche, Mercedes Benz, Bosch or Trumpf laser technology. Besides these globally famous enterprises, there are many hidden champions and thousands of medium-sized and small companies. Most of them have customers and business partners all over the world and often need face-to-face contact. A flight plan offering frequent connections to all major cities and hubs in Europe and some hubs in the world is crucial for our economy. With respect to growth and employment, our airport is an indispensable facility. Our aim is to be the gateway to the world for Germany’s southwest.
What does Stuttgart Airport offer businesses in the area to give them a strategic advantage?
[Being within] a short distance of the airport is an essential advantage for globally acting companies. Our catchment area not only comprises over eight million people, but also a lot of corporate headquarters and head offices. Our airport is directly connected to the highway and only 13km from downtown Stuttgart, so it is only a short ride by car or train from the central station to the airport. Business passengers can reach us quickly and easily, which will be a strategic advantage in the future when it comes to decisions on industrial location.
What makes Stuttgart a globally significant business location?
The metropolitan region of Stuttgart combines a strong industry with a qualified workforce, which together offers unique advantages to businesses. Innovation and productivity has a long tradition since the invention of the automobile. Inventiveness and perseverance are local virtues, increased through historical development. Additionally there is an emphasis on research and development; the region is home to many famous research institutions like Fraunhofer Society or Max Planck Society. Green technologies are now also coming up and completing the range of leading local industries.
What distinguishes Stuttgart from other business hubs in Germany?
Stuttgart Airport is in a special situation – we are surrounded closely by three big hub airports, Frankfurt, Munich and Zürich, all operated mainly by Lufthansa. Their catchment areas overlap with ours. All of them have undergone significant expansion throughout the last decades and are ready for further passenger growth. As they offer many long-distance connections, they are attractive for many passengers from Baden-Württemberg, especially to those who want to avoid transfers.
Tell us about the Airport City project. Do you think it is something other transport hubs will look to replicate?
One pillar of our development is our Airport City, the upgrading of our landside, and it is a chance that other airports are seizing too. A first step was the trade fair directly next to the airport.
The new German headquarters of Ernst & Young consultancy, right beside the terminals, is now following. We are investing over €100m in a building with stunning architecture – by 2016 more than 1,500 additional employees will be working here at the airport. Along the airport road there are further possibilities for settlements, and there are already inquiries from interested parties. Our unique selling point today is the airport, a highway and a trade fair combined within very short distance – you won´t find that elsewhere in Europe. In 2021 we will have a fast train railway stop (Stuttgart 21).
How is Stuttgart Airport expanding its conference facilities, and in what ways will this enhance the region’s business credentials?
Just beside our passenger terminals you can find the Stuttgart Trade Fair venue, which opened in 2007 – from the plane to the booth it’s just a short walk. Several leading world fairs and national congresses take place there. There are already two hotels close to the terminals, the Mövenpick Airport Hotel and the Wyndham Airport Hotel. In order to attract additional meetings and congresses to Stuttgart, we are going to build an additional first class hotel. The broad range of accommodation right beside the venue at the airport, combined with the touristic attractions of Stuttgart, will be very attractive for MICE hosts.
Tell us about some of the airport’s unique innovations
With regard to sustainability we want to reach a top position among the airports in Germany and in Europe. Our ‘fairport’ concept covers environmental and economic aspects as well as social ones. Our financial controllers have set up a green controlling system, which enables us to balance all criteria – in this field we are spearheading development. Being green and economically successful is no contradiction. Actually, Stuttgart is one of the few German airports yielding a profit – with a turnover of €225.3m in 2013 we had a yield of €23.8m after taxes.
Tell us about the ‘fairport’ project
We recognise our responsibility to minimise our impact on the environment and aim to become one of the highest-performing and most sustainable airports in Europe.
We are committed as a company to have a positive influence on the economy, society and the state of the local and global environment. Our strategy is based on binding values and guidelines for our employees, all of which are compiled in our ‘fairport’ code of ethics.
In order to pursue this envisioned path, we implement an integrated sustainability management and control system. This means that sustainability has become an integral part of our management control system. Our efforts to becoming more environmentally sustainable include the highly energy-efficient combined heat and power plant (CHP), which was built in 2013 and reduces our yearly CO2 emissions by 23 percent. These reductions mean we have already reached our environmental goal for 2020 and now aim to continue to grow climate neutrally at this level. Since 2013, we have also been trialling several electric vehicles as a part of the ‘eFleet’ project, which include a passenger bus, push-back truck, belt conveyor, as well as one freight and two baggage tugs. When we decide new investments we look at the lifecycle cost and chances beside the investing costs.
In what ways has Stuttgart Airport taken a socially responsible approach to development?
Competent and motivated employees are the key to our success. We have created a working environment that is fair and rewarding and offers perspectives and equal opportunities to all our staff. We consistently invest in developing our employees’ skills and qualifications and place a strong emphasis on open communication and a healthy work-life balance.
As a major employer in the region, we are also subject to public interest. It is of utmost importance to us to be a sustainable business and a good neighbour. We seek active interaction with our stakeholders – most importantly neighbours and customers – and provide transparent information on all our activities.
How have transport links in Stuttgart improved recently?
With over 100 destinations in more than 30 countries we meet the mobility requirements of our domestic industry and of the people in Baden-Württemberg. We are already connected with Atlanta, yet there are further demands for long-haul flights. Airberlin has announced a daily connection to Abu Dhabi starting in December 2014 – a further improvement of our network.
What are your hopes for the future of Stuttgart Airport?
Looking ahead, we strive for even better connections to hub destinations all over the world. We want to offer nonstop flights to all European capitals, all year round, and to the most important global hubs to boost the economy of Baden-Württemberg and the incoming traffic. Baden-Württemberg has a lot to offer and many reasons to come on a visit.
