Copenhagen Airport consists of a single building divided intotwo terminals. The arrivals hall is shared by both terminals and leads to a single exit towards the metro, buses and trains.

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The terminals are numbered 2 and 3; previously, there was also a ‘Go’ terminal for low-cost airlines, which is no longer in operation. The terminals are distinguished for check-in counters.

If you are travelling with checked-in luggage or require a physical paper boarding pass, please follow the departure board at the airport entrance or use the following guide:

• Terminal 2 – all airlines except those operating from Terminal 3
• Terminal 3 – SAS, Air Baltic, Alsie Express, DAT – Danish Air Transport, Icelandair, TAP Air Portugal, Wideroe

To help you find your way around, take a look at the terminal map on the airport’s website.

Looking for a hotel before your flight? Take a look at the hotels near Copenhagen Airport.

Security checks

If you’re travelling with hand luggage only and have your boarding pass either printed out or on your mobile, you can go through security at any terminal. Both lead to a shared transit area with all the gates.

Use the digital display boards to find your way; they’ll give you an estimate of the waiting time at each security checkpoint. If the waiting time at a more distant checkpoint is more than 10 minutes shorter, it’s worth making your way to the other terminal.

Copenhagen Airport is notorious for occasionally having very long waiting times at security.

Particularly during the morning rush hour (between 5.30 am and 7.00 am), queues can be as long as 45 minutes. The airport does not offer a fast-track service for all passengers, so it’s best to always arrive at least two hours before your flight.

Transit area

The area beyond security is shared by both terminals and is divided into several sections. The gates are marked with the letters A, B, C, D, E and F. 

Departures to countries outside the Schengen Area always take place from gates C15–C40, D101–D104 or F101–F105, which are accessed via passport control. Queues longer than 30 minutes may occasionally form.

If you are flying to countries outside the Schengen Area, please arrive at the airport 2.5 hours before your flight, just to be on the safe side.

The specific departure gate numbers are displayed in Copenhagen approximately 45–65 minutes before departure. Until then, you’ll have to spend your time in the central area, which has shops, restaurants and very few places to sit.

Connecting flights: 30 minutes is usually enough

Copenhagen Airport is very easy to navigate for transfers. You don’t have to worry about different terminals when transferring, as all gates are in the same area.

The distances aren’t great, but as the airport lacks moving walkways (travellators), it can take up to 15 minutes to walk from one end of the terminal to the other.

The transfer time stated on your ticket is always sufficient, provided your journey is on a single booking. In Copenhagen, you can usually make a connection between flights in around 30 minutes.

There are three types of connection.

Schengen- <-> -Schengen

When you leave the aeroplane, you’ll find yourself directly in the departures area, where you simply need to find the gate number for your connecting flight on the display board.

• Security check:no
• Passport control:no
• Realistic transfer time based on our experience:5–20 minutes

Schengen -> Non-Schengen

You’ll exit the aircraft directly into the departures area again; your connecting flight will depart from gates C, D or F.

• Security check:no
• Passport control:yes
• Realistic transfer time based on our experience:10–45 minutes(the longest queues at passport control are usually between 7.30 am and 10.00 am)
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Non-Schengen → Schengen or Non-Schengen

Wherever you’re travelling to next, you’ll always have to go through a special transit security check, where queues aren’t usually too long. You’ll also have to go through passport control in all cases.

• Security check:yes
• Passport control:yes
• Actual transfer time based on our experience:20–55 minutes(the longest queues for passport control are usually between 5.30 am and 8.00 am)

Official information, FAQs and answers regarding connecting flights are available on the airport’s website.

Would you like to continue?

We have personally visited hundreds of airports around the world and have compiled practical information from most of them that you may find useful.

Specifically, from Copenhagen we’ve travelled to the following airports and countries, for example:

• 👉 New York JFK – the metro or an Uber to Manhattan?
• 👉 Kaunas KUN – a cheap bus to the city centre
• 👉 Nuuk GOH – by bus, taxi or on foot
• 👉 Greenland – the ultimate guide to the whole island

Visiting the city whilst on a layover

If you have a layover in Copenhagen lasting at least 6 hours, pop into the city centre for a quick visit.

The metro takes 15 minutes to reach the city centre. If we factor in some extra time for waiting for your luggage, the journey to the station, and if we add 2 hours before departure – by which time you should already be at the airport – you’ll have roughly 3 hours of free time to explore Copenhagen during your 6-hour stopover.

• How to get from the airport to Copenhagen
• What to see in Copenhagen