Frankfurt Hahn Airport handled approximately 1.5 million passengers in 2019. Credit: Craig / Wikimedia.

Frankfurt Hahn Airport (HHN), an international budget flights hub in Germany, has filed for bankruptcy at the Bad Kreuznach Administrative Court.

It is still unclear how the bankruptcy would impact flight operations at the airport.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Go deeper with GlobalData

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

The court has appointed Jan Markus Plathner as the provisional administrator for the bankruptcy proceedings.

China-based HNA Group holds an 82.5% stake in the airport while the remaining stake is owned by the German state of Hesse.

In 2017, HNA Group acquired a stake from the state of Rhineland-Palatinate for $17.5m (€15m).

In February, a court in China initiated bankruptcy proceedings against HNA following requests from its creditors.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

However, China’s Liaoning Fangda Group and Hainan Development Holdings stated that they could clear the debt owed to retail investors by HNA.

Furthermore, HNA Group chairman Chen Feng and CEO Tan Xiangdong were detained by Hainan provincial police for alleged criminal offences in September.

The airport started witnessing a plunge in passenger business way before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the global aviation industry.

Originally, the airport served as an important hub for budget carrier Ryanair. However, it suffered a huge dent in its earnings after the discount airline started shifting to nearby larger airports.

Government subsidies were granted to keep the airport solvent as its debt had piled up.

Frankfurt Hahn Airport handled approximately 1.5 million passengers in 2019.

Last month, Germany’s Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) renewed its IT infrastructure.

Software firm PSI Logistics helped the airport in its IT infrastructure renewal.

Software and control computers, as well as monitoring and display systems in baggage handling, were also upgraded.

Airport Technology Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Airport Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
OPS1 by TADERA has won the 2025 Product Launch Award in the Safety and Efficiency category for transforming how airports manage operations and safety. Learn how this integrated, GIS driven platform simplifies inspections, maintenance, and SMS compliance while turning operational data into real time, actionable intelligence.

Discover the Impact