Memmingen Airport - the Allgau Airport with smoking cabins

Memmingen Airport is located just five kilometres southeast of Memmingen in the Allgäu region, one of the most popular holiday regions in Germany.

Memmingen Airport began regular scheduled and charter flight services in 2007. What began as a pioneering venture by local entrepreneurs is now the largest low-cost airport of southern Germany and occupies a permanent place among the top 15 German commercial airports. In 2022, the airport set a new record with almost two million passengers. The airport’s success story is based on a mix of differentiating factors. Attractive non-stop connections throughout Europe as well as the special location at the A7/A96 motorway intersection and in the centre of an attractive service area that stretches from Munich to Switzerland and Austria.

“We are delighted with the large growth,” emphasises Airport Managing Director Ralf Schmid, “which we have achieved thanks to our dedicated team and our strong airline partners.”

Thanks to growth, new jobs are constantly being created and additional staff are needed. Thus, the 237 employees at Flughafen Memmingen GmbH and Allgate GmbH are to be expanded by around 50 new colleagues by the end of 2023. “We need reinforcements,” says Managing Director Ralf Schmid, “and are looking forward to new motivated employees who will continue the growth course with us.”

The infrastructure at Memmingen Airport will also be adapted to the high demand and increasing official requirements in several steps by 2026.

Among other things, the check-in area and the upper floor of the arrivals hall will be expanded and the upper floor of the terminal will be extended.

In general, the topic of sustainability plays a central role in the aviation industry. The airport operator is committed to the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with concrete commitments in the fields of economy, ecology and social affairs. The top priority is climate neutrality: 0 per cent CO² is to be achieved by 2030 by reducing and offsetting CO² emissions. One measure to achieve this goal is the e-fleet at Allgäu Airport.

The fascination of airports, the longing to travel, to wander far and wide and to encounter different cultures on the way, is more present than ever. But airports can also be a challenge for travellers: security checks, fear of flying, long waiting times in the departure area between “just in case, one hour early” and the actual boarding.

Waiting times and long queues are not only a challenge for parents with small children – but also for smokers. The airport terminal is a non-smoking zone, smoking is prohibited on the plane as well as on the apron. A long time for smokers, for whom the wait after the security check (and with a view to the upcoming flight) can be quite long.

It’s not so easy to get out into the fresh air and smoke at the airport. “Some people then look for a way to smoke inside the building – without getting caught,” says Viola Zimmermann, who is responsible for Purchasing/Supply & Purchase at Memmingen Airport.

To counteract this problem, there is an outdoor beer garden at Memmingen Airport after the security check. However, this is located in the Schengen area. This means that passengers travelling to a non-Schengen area who have already passed through customs can no longer use it.

Since March 2018, there has been a Smoke’n Go Plaza smoking cabin in the departure area of Memmingen Airport. It is used intensively and many passengers like to visit it to satisfy their nicotine cravings.

“Since our airport is constantly developing and we have a continuous passenger growth and expect it to continue, the acquisition of a second smoking cabin was now unavoidable for us. So we now have one smoking cabin on the top floor and one on the ground floor,” says Viola Zimmermann. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any references from travellers,” explains Viola Zimmermann. “But basically we are satisfied with the quality and the look of the smoking cabin.”

The second smoking cabin, which was installed by two Euromate technicians in January 2023, is also a Smoke’n Go Plaza that can ideally be used by twelve to 14 people at the same time – and without smoke or odours escaping to the outside.

Since the walls of the cabins are made of glass, the smokers inside have a full view of what’s happening outside – their relatives, the scoreboards or simply the view of Germany’s highest commercial airport.