- The concluding surge of traffic congestion during the conclusion of summer vacations - gridlock within the parameters of the holidays' termination.
As summer vacation in North Rhine-Westphalia was drawing to a close, approximately 70,000 travelers per day descended upon the state's largest airports on Friday and Saturday. This number was expected to rise to over 71,000 on Sunday and Monday. A spokesperson for Düsseldorf Airport communicated this to Deutsche Presse-Agentur before the weekend.
Cologne Bonn Airport noticed an unexpected surge in passengers for the last two holiday days. The airport had forecasted a grand total of 121,000 travelers, predominantly returning vacationers, to pass through its gates from Friday to Sunday.
Paderborn/Lippstadt Airport saw its fair share of weekend travelers, with over 10,500 passengers. According to a spokesperson, another 6,000 passengers were anticipated to fly in before North Rhine-Westphalia's schools reopened on Wednesday, on Monday and Tuesday. Dortmund and Weeze airports are expected to evaluate their post-holiday weekend situation.
ADAC: Holidays' busiest weekend
The increased return traffic led ADAC to anticipate much more traffic congestion on North Rhine-Westphalia's highways than would usually be seen on a non-holiday weekend. Fortunately, major disruptions were averted on Saturday and Sunday. WDR's traffic studio reported the common delays at announced roadworks or closures in North Rhine-Westphalia. Generally, things stayed within the usual range for the region - that is, until Sunday afternoon.
The Commission, in response to the high travel demand during the holiday weekend in North Rhine-Westphalia, decided to closely monitor the situation at the region's airports. Given this escalating situation, The Commission shall adopt the implementing acts referred to in Article 113, to facilitate smoother operations and handle the increased passenger traffic.
