Wondering where your journey truly begins? It starts right here at Dortmund Airport. This isn’t just a place to catch a flight. It’s a vital hub connecting Dortmund and the eastern Rhine-Ruhr area to the world.
Dortmund Airport serves nearly 3 million passengers annually. That’s a lot of dreams taking flight. It mainly caters to low-cost carriers and leisure charter flights. So, chances are good your vacation starts here.
Originally, commercial flights took off from the suburb of Brackel. That was in 1925. Aero Lloyd offered flights to Paris. By 1927, the airport handled 2,589 commercial flights each year.
During World War II, the airport became a German air base. Later, the British Royal Air Force used it. Commercial service didn’t resume until 1955. In 1960, the airfield moved to its current location in Dortmund-Wickede. The old airport was then occupied by British forces until the 1990s.
For a while, Dortmund Airport played second fiddle to larger airports. Düsseldorf Airport and Cologne Bonn Airport dominated the region. The Sauerlandlinie, a major motorway, made it easy to reach Frankfurt Airport by car.
But Dortmund Airport didn’t stay quiet for long. Commercial service returned in 1979. Flights to Munich started it all. Nuremberg and Stuttgart soon followed. After German Reunification in 1990, new destinations appeared like Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin, and London.
A new terminal opened in 2000. This modern facility helped spark a major resurgence. In the 1990s, flights were limited. Now, many new airlines serve Dortmund Airport. Low-cost carriers operate jets to various destinations.
Air Berlin was a major player in the early 2000s. They offered flights to London, Milan, and Vienna. EasyJet established a hub here in 2004. Germanwings followed in 2007. Today, Wizz Air plays a significant role. This airline connects Dortmund to many destinations in Eastern Europe.
Dortmund Airport is also known as Dortmund Airport 21. This name reflects the major shareholder, Dortmund’s utility company DSW21. Plans include extending operating hours and lengthening the runway. There are also plans to expand the terminal and improve transportation links.
Several airlines operate from Dortmund Airport. Eurowings offers flights to Munich and Palma de Mallorca. Pegasus Airlines flies to Istanbul. SunExpress offers seasonal flights to Antalya and Izmir. Wizz Air connects Dortmund to numerous cities.
Getting to and from Dortmund Airport is easy. There’s an express bus to Dortmund main station. A shuttle bus connects to Holzwickede railway station. Buses also run to Dortmund’s metro line and the city of Unna.
While here, remember a couple of incidents. In 1985, a private plane crashed near the runway. In 2010, an Air Berlin flight aborted takeoff and overran the runway. In 2022, a Ryanair plane overran the runway during landing. Thankfully, no one was injured in the last two.
So, as you stand here at Dortmund Airport, think about the journeys that begin and end here. Consider the history and the future. This is more than just an airport. It’s a gateway to new experiences.