In Munich, padel is taking root in the heart of the airport: three courts and already 5,000 visitors

Playing padel between two terminals of an international airport? It's now possible in Munich. From August 15th until September 6th, 2026, the Munich Airport Center is hosting the " Padel "Days," with three tracks set up in the heart of the MAC-Forum. And the operation already seems to be finding its audience: approximately 5,000 people participated in the opening weekend alone.

The image is undeniably spectacular. Amidst the travelers, shops, and glass architecture of Munich Airport, three padel courts have been installed in the MAC Forum , the space located in the heart of the Munich Airport Center.

The installation is not permanent, however. The three tracks were specially set up for the Padel days 2026 , organized from August 15 to September 6 , with the airport's stated ambition to transform the MAC-Forum into one of the region's main temporary padel arenas for three weeks.

5,000 visitors on the first weekend alone

The launch gives an initial indication of the interest generated by the event.

According to figures officially released by Munich Airport, approximately 5,000 visitors attended the Padel Days during the opening weekend between discovering the discipline, activities and first sporting events.

The opening ceremony on August 15th brought together padel players, celebrities, and content creators for exhibition matches and various activities. The event was presented by Bent Mildner , host of RanSport, and Basti Bayer , German player and trainer for the Deutscher Tennis Bund (DTB).

The following day, the sporting aspect took center stage with a tournament NextGen organized with DTB including categories ranging from U10 to U18 and a young talent detection operation.

Padel tennis from 8 a.m. to 22 p.m.

The idea is not simply to present a few suggestions to attract the attention of travelers.

Outside of scheduled competitions and events, the three fields are accessible to the public as part of the program. "Book & Play" .

The facilities are generally functioning. from 8 a.m. to 22 p.m. , with slots available during the week and also some weekends outside of events.

The advertised prices are relatively affordable considering the exceptional nature of the venue:

25 euros per pitch per hour between 8pm and 16pm
30 euros per pitch per hour between 16pm and 22pm

Snowshoes can also be rented on site for 4 euros each , while a tube of three bullets is offered to 8 Euros .

In other words, it is not just a communication operation around padel: for three weeks, the facilities function as a real ephemeral club.

In Munich, padel has taken root in the heart of the airport: three courts and already 5,000 visitors

A program that goes far beyond leisure.

The other distinctive feature of the Munich project is its timetable.

The airport combined padel discovery, public events and real competitions.

After the NextGen tournament on August 16, the schedule notably includes two Company Cup On August 20th and September 3rd, an event Padel & Party , the MUC Airport Open , the Munich City Championship a spectacular One Point Challenge and, finally, the Bavarian Championships September 5 and 6.

Several competitions are part of the German Padel Tour .

The Munich City Championship of August 23rd is thus ranked CERTINA GPT 100 , while the Bavarian Championships on September 5th and 6th are announced as a CERTINA 250 GPT .

Above all, the enthusiasm is clearly not limited to the curious.

A few days after the opening, the airport announced that The Munich Championships and the Bavarian Championships were already full. , while demand for Book & Play slots was also described as particularly high.

5,000 euros… for a single point

Among the planned activities, one competition is expected to attract particular attention. 29 August : the One Point Challenge powered by Revolut .

The principle is radical: a duel, a single point and the loser is eliminated.

The format is open, theoretically allowing amateurs to compete against much more experienced players. The winner will take home a prize money of 1,000 euros .

A format particularly suited to an event organized in a place of passage: a few seconds can be enough to understand the issue at stake in an exchange.

Padel as a tool for airport entertainment

Beyond the sport, the Munich experience also shows how padel is starting to be used by places that originally had no connection with racket sports.

The MAC-Forum regularly hosts events designed to make the airport more than just a transit hub. In 2025, for example, the space hosted the "Ninja Days." In 2026, the focus shifted to padel tennis.

Dr. Jan-Henrik Andersson, Commercial Director of Flughafen München GmbH, explains that the goal is to make the MAC-Forum a space capable of hosting events that bring together travelers, airport employees and local residents.

With the Padel Days, the airport therefore intends to use the current attractiveness of the discipline to create an experience that goes far beyond the traditional function of an airport platform.

The event also benefits from the support of several stakeholders, including MyPadel, the Bayerischer Tennis Association and Wilson , along with several commercial partners. The organization is led by Munich Airport in cooperation with MMP Event .

A further symbol of the expansion of padel

The significance of this operation ultimately extends beyond the three pitches installed in Munich.

For a long time, the development of padel was measured primarily by the number of clubs, courts, or registered players. Now, the sport is also taking place in much more unusual event spaces.

Installing three courts in one of Germany’s main airport hubs allows padel to be placed in front of an audience that would not necessarily have spontaneously entered a club.

And the first indicator is quite spectacular: 5,000 visitors in one weekend competitions fill up quickly and there is a high demand for playing slots.

The Munich gamble is all the more interesting because it brings together several audiences: travelers discovering the tracks while passing through the MAC-Forum, locals who come to play, companies with the Company Cup, young people with the NextGen tournament, and competitors with the stages of the German Padel Tour.

For three weeks, the airport thus becomes almost a padel club in its own right.

A temporary experiment, certainly, but one that perfectly illustrates a trend: Padel is no longer just looking for new players. It is now going directly to meet them, even in airports.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.