The Gateway To Bavaria: Which Airport?

Bavaria is served by several airports, including Munich Airport, Nuremberg Airport, and Augsburg Airport. Munich Airport is the second busiest airport in Germany and the tenth busiest in Europe, handling 47.9 million passengers in 2019. It is located 28.5km northeast of Munich and serves as a hub for Lufthansa. Nuremberg Airport is the second-busiest airport in Bavaria, handling about 4.1 million passengers in 2019. It is located 5km north of Nuremberg and offers flights within Germany and Europe. Augsburg Airport is a regional airport in Affing, Bavaria, offering transport connections to the nearby freeway.

Munich Airport

The airport has two passenger terminals, with an additional midfield terminal, and two runways. It serves as a hub for Lufthansa and its subsidiaries Lufthansa CityLine, Air Dolomiti, and Eurowings, as well as a base for Condor and TUI fly Deutschland. The airport covers 3,892 acres of land area, with most facilities located between the two runways. The approach road and railway divide the west part into a southern half, which contains cargo and maintenance facilities, and a northern half, which contains administrative buildings, service facilities, a holiday long-term parking lot, and the visitors' centre.

In terms of transportation, Munich Airport is accessible via Motorway A 92, which connects to motorway A9 and Munich's ring motorway A99. The airport can also be reached by bicycle via national highway 301 and an airport road branching off this highway. There are two railway stations on the airport grounds: Munich Airport Terminal station and Besucherpark station. The airport is connected to the city by Munich suburban railway (S-Bahn) lines, with a ride to the city centre taking approximately 45 minutes. Additionally, a scheduled regional bus service connects the airport to the nearby city of Freising.

Nuremberg Airport

The airport is served by U-Bahn (Metro) line U2, with trains connecting the airport with the centre of the city every 10 minutes. The ride to the Hauptbahnhof (Central Railway Station) and the nearby Altstadt (historic old town) takes just 13 minutes. Nuremberg Airport is unique in Germany in that it is the only airport served by U-Bahn rather than S-Bahn, Tramway or Deutsche Bahn.

The airport is also accessible by bus, with bus number 30 connecting the airport with Erlangen, and bus line 33 providing a quicker route to Nuremberg's west-neighbouring city Fürth.

Memmingen Allgau Airport

History

In 2004, the airport was converted for civilian use, serving Memmingen and the Allgäu region. It has since become a low-cost alternative to Munich Airport, offering flights to European leisure and metropolitan destinations.

Facilities and Services

Transportation

The airport is conveniently located close to the A96 motorway, providing easy access to Munich, Lake Constance, and Switzerland. It also intersects with the A7 motorway, connecting to Ulm, Northern Germany, and Austria. Local bus lines 2 and 810/811 connect the airport to Memmingen's town centre and railway station, offering frequent train services to Munich and Augsburg. Dedicated coach services and long-distance coaches are also available to Munich and other cities in Germany and neighbouring countries.

Schleissheim Airfield

The airfield was established in 1912 to serve the Royal Bavarian Air Force, with a subdivision at the Gersthofen/Gablingen airfield. Due to its proximity to Schloss Schleißheim, the airfield's buildings were constructed in the "reduced home style". After World War I, Schleissheim Airfield was utilised for civilian purposes, serving as a technical base for emerging civilian air traffic and later primarily for pilot training.

During the National Socialist period and World War II, the airfield underwent expansion to become an air base for the Luftwaffe (Air Force) as part of the National Socialist armament efforts. The architectural style of the new buildings, known as Bayerische Moderne or Bavarian Modernism, was unusual for the Nazi era. The air traffic control building, designed by Robert Vorhoelzer and demolished in 2007, epitomised this architectural direction in air force construction.

From 1945 to 1947, the airfield, designated as R.75 by the Allied forces, was used for military purposes by the Occupation Air Force (OAF) of the U.S. Army. Subsequently, it was utilised by the U.S. Army, the Army Airmen of the Bundeswehr, the Federal Border Guard, and the Federal Police. The site also accommodated an extensive antenna system for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in the 1950s.

Today, Schleissheim Airfield is utilised by six air sports clubs and the Oberschleissheim Federal Police Air Squadron. The special airfield is operated by Flugplatz Schleißheim e. V., a collective organisation of the six flying clubs. The airfield occasionally serves as a stopover for the Zeppelin NT and the Junkers Ju 52, which offer sightseeing flights over Munich.

Oberpfaffenhofen Airport

Bavaria, Germany, is served by several airports, including Munich Airport, Nuremberg Airport, and Augsburg Airport. However, one airport that stands out is the Oberpfaffenhofen Airport (IATA: OBF, ICAO: EDMO), located in the village of Oberpfaffenhofen, about 23 km (14 mi) from Munich's city centre.

A Historical Airport

A Hub for Aviation and Aerospace

A Unique Sonderflughafen

Frequently asked questions