The Senate’s mobility concept of March 16, 2026, does not stand up to reality. A recent stress test conducted by the Hamburg Airport Residents’ Association (Notgemeinschaft der Flughafenanlieger Hamburg e.V.) exposes the “Interregional Solution for Air Traffic” as practically unusable. AI-supported analyses now confirm the residents’ association’s 65 years of accumulated expertise: The planned handling of Olympic traffic is impossible under the given forecasts.

The Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs’ (BMDV) baseline forecast for 2040 predicts passenger growth of 18 to 25% compared to 2019. This would mean that the airports named as alternative destinations—Frankfurt (FRA), Berlin (BER), and Copenhagen (CPH)—would already be operating at full capacity with their regular passenger volume. The combined spare capacity of Bremen (BRE), Hanover (HAJ), and Lübeck (LBC) amounts to a maximum of 10,000 passengers per day – however, handling an additional 40,000 passengers daily would be required.

Particularly critical: According to BMDV’s forecast, Hamburg Airport (HAM), located in the city center, is already reaching its capacity limit even without the Olympics. Since planned sports venues and the Olympic Village are located directly in the approach paths of Runway 1, air traffic would have to be handled almost exclusively via Barmbek and Norderstedt. This would further reduce capacity. The rail infrastructure has also not been fully considered: Both the main train station and the connecting lines from the surrounding metropolitan areas are already operating at their limits. For international athletes and officials, travel times would often double compared to the competitor, Munich.

Gebhard Kraft, Chairman of the Emergency Committee: “The Senate’s concept is completely unfounded, totally unrealistic, and damages our city’s reputation. If Hamburg seriously wants to host the Olympic Games, a high-performance Olympic airport must be built north of the city to replace Fuhlsbüttel – with a direct rail connection to Diebsteich station and to Kiel. If the Senate sticks to its current concept, we risk an Olympics without international participation at the level of a district championship.”