The future airport: A conversation between Claus Lassen and Thomas Woldbye

Contemporary international hub-airports are undergoing major changes. New business models, the individualisation of air travel, the increased societal focus on climate change, new flying technologies and the increased use of information technology, together with geopolitical changes, create the future context for international airport development. In a conversation between mobility researcher Claus Lassen and Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Copenhagen Airport – Scandinavia’s largest hub airport, with more than 30 million annual   air travellers – the importance of such changes is addressed. Having been CEO since 2011, Woldbye has great insight into the challenges associated with operating large mobility- and infrastructure-based organisations such as airports during troubled times. In addition, he is a board member of ACI Europe and has 27 years of experience from A.P. Moller-Maersk, especially management of A. P. Moller’s worldwide container business, Maersk Line. This interview is in three parts. First, in the conservation we attempt to identify what specifically characterises the airport as a mobility-driven organisation. Second, we more closely examine the historical development of airports and the chancing societal role of airports. Third, the conversation examines how the “future” is handled at Copenhagen Airport and elaborates on the particular future challenges faced by the airport.