2013-02-04 — /travelprnews.com/ — A new growth committee gets powerful players to join forces in bolstering Copenhagen Airport for the intense international competition with other airports and regions. The airport is a driver of growth and jobs in all of Denmark and in southern Sweden, and the committee has been entrusted with the task of identifying ideas and concrete initiatives that will ensure continuing growth in the number of routes and improvement of international accessibility. The growth committee is established by Copenhagen Airport, and Jens Kramer Mikkelsen, CEO of CPH City & Port Development will be chairman of the committee.
The preliminary action plan for the growth committee includes topics such as an opening of the large neighbouring Russian market for more airline services to Denmark; new initiatives to attract more inbound travellers to the region; further development of the cargo hub and the perspectives for an Airport City in connection with the airport. The committee will seek inspiration from initiatives that have strengthened other hubs in Europe and other parts of the world.
“The entire Copenhagen region has seen fantastic development in recent years, and it has the potential for continued growth. But if we are to succeed in the competition with other cities and regions, we need to build more than just new city districts. We need to generate growth and attract tourists, highly qualified labour and investments. An important part of this is will be to link Denmark more closely with growth markets such as Russia and China, and to this end good flight connections will be key,” said Jens Kramer Mikkelsen.
Committee brings together influential people
The growth committee consists of influential people from Denmark as well as Sweden. In addition to industrial bodies such as the Danish Metalworkers’ Union and the Confederation of Danish Industry, Mayor of Copenhagen Frank Jensen and other politicians of the region, the committee’s members also include Professor Carl-Johan Dalgaard of the University of Copenhagen whose research focuses on growth, and management representatives from a number of companies, including MAN Diesel, PensionDanmark and Microsoft.
“The members of the committee have been chosen with a view to ensuring power of penetration. We have identified a number of obvious issues, and my expectations for the committee’s work is that we will use the meetings to find specific solutions. A great strength of committee lies in its composition of people who can contribute to quick implementation,” said Jens Kramer Mikkelsen.
Support from the Danish Minister for Transport
The committee is established in line with the recommendations of the Aviation Committee established by the Danish Minister for Transport, which last year proposed that collaboration among external stakeholders regarding Copenhagen Airport as a hub should be strengthened through a stakeholder committee.
Henrik Dam Kristensen, Minister for Transport, said:
“I am very satisfied and pleased so see that Copenhagen Airport now establishes a stakeholder committee under the name of CPH Growth Committee as a follow-up on the Aviation Committee’s recommendation. The new committee will be an important forum joining strong forces to ensure that Copenhagen Airport maintains its position as an international hub. The committee will also help attract increased focus on growth, not just in Copenhagen but in the entire Øresund region. I, myself, look forward to regular meetings with the stakeholder committee, and I will certainly support its work.”
SAS, the biggest airline at Copenhagen Airport, also supports the committee:
“Copenhagen is SAS’ main hub airport for passengers and cargo, and we have a special interest in seeing the airport and the region develop so that our customers can benefit even more from travelling via Copenhagen and will want to begin or end their trips in an Øresund region under development. SAS is moving towards a strong future with more destinations served by new aircraft, and this trend is well supported by a strong collaboration around Copenhagen,” said Rickard Gustafson, CEO of SAS.
As CEO of CPH City & Port Development and former Mayor of Copenhagen for 15 years, Jens Kramer Mikkelsen has in recent decades driven a large number of major projects such as the Metro, the Ørestad, Amager Beach Park and, most recently, the development of the South Harbour and North Harbour districts into residential and business areas.
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The CPH Growth Committee will meet two to three times a year, the first time in March 2013.
The members of the committee are (there may be a few additions):
- Jens Kramer Mikkelsen, CEO of CPH City & Port Development, Chairman
- Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Copenhagen Airports
- Rickard Gustafson, CEO of SAS
- Frank Jensen, Mayor of the City of Copenhagen
- Henrik Zimino, Mayor of the Municipality of Taarnby
- Ilmar Reepalu, Mayor of Malmo
- Vibeke Storm Rasmussen, Chairman of the Capital Region of Denmark
- Pia Kinhult, spokesperson for Region Skåne
- Claus Jensen, Chairman of the Danish Metalworkers’ Union
- Michael Svane, director of the Danish Transport Federation
- Stephan Müchler, Chairman and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Southern Sweden
- Lars Bernhard Jørgensen, CEO of Wonderful Copenhagen
- Professor Carl-Johan Dalgaard, University of Copenhagen
- Torben Möger Pedersen, CEO of PensionDanmark
- Thomas Knudsen, CEO of MAN Diesel Denmark
- Peter Schütze, Chairman of DSB (Danish State Railways)
- Charlotte Mark, Managing Director of Microsoft Development Centre Copenhagen
- Carsten Falk Hansen (observer), Director General of the Danish Transport Authority
Contact
- Jens Kramer Mikkelsen, CEO of CPH City & Port Development, tel +45 5158 9212
- Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Copenhagen Airports A/S, tel +45 3231 2800