Munich Airport (MUC) has reached a historic milestone, surpassing 1 billion passengers since its opening on May 17, 1992. This achievement underscores the airport’s evolution from a regional facility to one of Europe’s top hubs.
The airport replaced the former Riem site, which handled just 28,970 passengers in 1949. By 1992, annual traffic had grown significantly. In its first full year post-opening, passenger numbers accelerated, doubling from under 15 million in 1995 to over 30 million by 2006 despite global disruptions like the September 11 attacks.
Key expansions supported this growth. Terminal 2 opened in June 2003 for Lufthansa and Star Alliance partners. Passenger traffic hit 40 million for the first time in 2015 and peaked at 47.9 million in 2019, marking the tenth consecutive record year. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp drop to 11.1 million in 2020, but recovery was swift: 31.6 million in 2022, 37 million in 2023, 41.6 million in 2024, and 43.4 million in 2025—a 4.4% increase over 2024.
By May 2017, cumulative passengers neared 700 million. Continued growth, driven by European (up 4.3% in 2025) and long-haul traffic (up 8.5%), propelled totals past 1 billion. Aircraft movements rose to 337,450 in 2025, with cargo at 341,000 tons. MUC now serves 266 destinations, ranking among Europe’s top 10 airports with 91% recovery of pre-pandemic levels.