Cologne Bonn Airport (German:Flughafen Köln/Bonn „Konrad Adenauer“) (IATA:CGN,ICAO:EDDK) is aninternational airport in north-westernGermany. It serves the country's fourth-largest cityCologne, as well asBonn, the former capital ofWest Germany. In 2024, more than 10 million passengers passed through Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN). It is the first time that passenger numbers have exceeded those in 2019 and hence marks a return to pre-pandemic levels. It is theseventh-largest passenger airport in Germany and the third-largest in terms of cargo operations. By traffic units, which combines cargo and passengers, the airport is in fifth position in Germany.[5] As of March 2015, Cologne Bonn Airport had services to 115 passenger destinations in 35 countries.[6] The airport is named after Cologne nativeKonrad Adenauer, the first post-war Chancellor of West Germany. The facility covers 1,000hectares (2,500acres) and contains three runways.[7]
The airport is located in the district ofPorz and is surrounded by Wahner Heide, anature reserve. The airport is centrally located in theCologne Bonn Region 12 km (7.5 mi; 6.5 nmi) southeast of theCologne city centre and 16 km (9.9 mi; 8.6 nmi) northeast ofBonn. Cologne Bonn Airport is one of the country's few 24-hour airports and serves as a hub forEurowings,FedEx Express[1] andUPS Airlines[2] as well as a focus city for several leisure and low-cost airlines. It is also a host of a training centre for the German (DLR) and European (EAC)astronaut programmes, part of theEuropean Space Agency. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) formerly used an Airbus A300 ZERO-G aircraft at Cologne/Bonn Airport to simulate zero gravity conditions for research. This aircraft, also known as the "Zero G", is no longer used for research flights but has been stationed at the airport since 2015 and is now an interactive museum exhibit. It can be found outside of the airport, near close to Terminal 2.
In 1938, the first airfield was built on site for the GermanLuftwaffe. AfterWorld War II the British military took over and expanded the airport (as RAF Wahn - B-119). A 1,866 m runway was built in this period.[9]
The following squadrons used RAF Wahn:2 Squadron between 28 June 1948 and 15 September 1949 then again between 1 July 1953 and 28 October 1955,[10]4 Squadron between 13 November 1947 and 1 March 1948 then the squadron alternating with RAF Lubeck until 19 September 1949,[11]11 Squadron between 15 September 1948 and 17 September 1949,[12]14 Squadron between 1 April 1946 and 16 September 1949,[13]17 Squadron between 1 June 1956 and 3 April 1957,[14]21 Squadron between 3 and 26 September 1946,[15]68 Squadron between 1 January 1952 and 22 July 1957,[16]69 Squadron between 31 March 1946 and 7 November 1947,[16]87 Squadron between 1 January 1952 and 2 July 1957,[17]98 Squadron between 15 March 1946 and 19 September 1949,[18]107 Squadron between 3 September 1946 and 15 September 1948,[19]128 Squadron between 11 and 31 March 1946,[20]180 Squadron between 8 and 31 March 1946 &[21]305 Squadron between 11 March and 15 October 1946.[22]
The first scheduled international route was London-Cologne/Bonn-Berlin operated byBEA, inaugurated on 1 January 1951.[9] A second and third runway was opened in 1954 and 1961 subsequently. That same yearLufthansa inaugurated the first scheduled intercontinental service from Cologne/Bonn toNew York City.[9]
The new passenger terminal, which still exists today as Terminal 1, was inaugurated in 1970. The airport's passenger and freight facilities have been extended substantially during the 1970s.[9] In 1978, the airport handled more than 2 million passengers for the first time.[9]
By 1990, the airport handled three million passengers per year.[9] In the mid-1990s the airport started another major expansion program. Several new parking lots, a new control tower and a second terminal were built, and in 2004 a new long-distance railway station connecting the airport withInterCityExpress trains was opened.[9]
The airport's design and atmosphere have also influenced popular culture. In 1977, musicianBrian Eno was inspired by the architecture and ambiance of Cologne Bonn Airport while waiting for a flight. He later described it as "a very beautiful building [...] The light was beautiful, everything was beautiful, except they were playing awful music."[24] This experience led him to create his groundbreaking 1978 ambient music album "Music for Airports" which was designed to "induce calm and a space to think" in airport environments.[25] Eno sought to create background music that, unlike the "lightweight" music typically played in such spaces, would complement the architectural aesthetics of modern airports like Cologne Bonn.
Coinciding with the start of severallow-cost airlines in Germany, Cologne/Bonn opened new capacities. This enabled the airport to make competitive offers to the airlines. Consequently,Germanwings andTUIfly started operations from Cologne/Bonn as their hub in the fall of 2002. As a result, the number of passengers in 2003 rose by 43% compared to 2002. These airlines were joined byeasyJet in late 2003 andWizz Air in June 2006.
Also, theCanadian Forces began to use the airport as a staging area to move troops and supplies in support of humanitarian missions and possible anti-terrorism roles.[26]
Low-cost carriersRyanair andNorwegian Air Shuttle began service to Cologne/Bonn in May 2012. In April 2014, Ryanair announced the opening of their fifth German base at Cologne/Bonn Airport for October 2014.[28] In December 2014,Lufthansa announced it would baseEurowings' new long-haul operations at Cologne Bonn Airport with flights toFlorida,Southern Africa and theIndian Ocean to start by the end of 2015.[29] Meanwhile,Condor cancelled their service toVaradero after only one season due to the expected competition.[30] In February 2018,Eurowings announced the relocation of all long-haul operations from Cologne consisting of fourAirbus A330 aircraft toDüsseldorf Airport by late October 2018 leaving the airport without any long-haul passenger routes again.[31] In 2024,Wizz Air announced it would terminate all routes from Cologne/Bonn, which it had served for ten years.[32]
The older Terminal 1 is a 1970s building that sports large surfaces of bare concrete in its design. It features a u-shaped main building with shops, restaurants, check-in and service facilities and a visitors deck on its roof as well as the star-shaped piers B and C with five aircraft stands each plus a central airside hall between them added in 2004 with joint security-check facilities, more shops and restaurants as well as three additional stands. All ten stands at both piers featurejet bridges while the other three use walk-boarding. Also several bus-boarding stands are available at the apron. Terminal 1 is used byEurowings, which occupy most of the landside check-in facilities,Lufthansa andAustrian Airlines.[33] Terminal 1 features its own direct connection to the railway station.
Construction of Terminal 2 began in June 1997, and operations at the terminal commenced on 21 June 2000. It is located to the north of Terminal 1. Both feature separate check-in facilities but are connected through a landside walkway. Terminal 2 is a modern-style rectangular building made out of glass and steel which is equipped with eight stands with jet bridges as well as several stands for bus-boarding. It is used by several airlines such asRyanair.[33] Terminal 2 is also directly connected to the airports' railway station via the basement level. The terminal hosts an interdenominational prayer room on its base level.[34]
The German Air Force'sExecutive Transport Wing is based on the south-western side of the airport, adjacent to the Wahn Air Force Barracks. The military part of the airport is also used by the Canadian Forces as an operational support hub.[114]
Direct flight destinations from Cologne Bonn Airport (November 2025)[115][116]Aerial view of the airportTerminal 1 (on the left) and the connecting hall between both main piers still under construction and Terminal 2 (on the right)
Cologne/Bonn Airport station is a four-track railway station on aloop off theCologne–Frankfurt high-speed line that connects Cologne Bonn Airport to long-distance trains at least once an hour per direction, most of themICE services. The station lies directly across both terminals under a large glass roof and features direct connections to the basement of Terminal 2 as well as the check-in area at Terminal 1-C. TheS-Bahn lineS 19 toDüren and regional train lineRE 6 toMinden (Westfalen) connects the airport station with viaCologne Main Station.RB 27 betweenMönchengladbach andKoblenz calls at the airport station as well.[118]
Local bus lines also connect the airport with Cologne (route161) and Bonn (routeSB60).[119] On 28 October 2015, a new coach terminal opened and is used for remote bus services to other German cities and many other European countries.
On April 4, 1978, aSpantaxConvair 990 landing at Cologne Bonn Airport forgot to pull out the landing gear and the aircraft slid over the runway, resulting in the right wing catching fire. Two fire-fighting vehicles from the airport fire service that happened to be in the immediate vicinity probably prevented casualties in this accident. All 146 people on board escaped unharmed.[120]
On June 7, 1993, aLearjet 35A operated by Aero-Dienst crashed following a left engine failure at or near V2. The aircraft rolled to the left, contacted the ground beside the runway, levelled off, took off again and rolled left and inverted and impacted the ground. All four occupants were killed. Cause undetermined.[121]
Jefford, C. G. (1988).RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912.Shrewsbury: Airlife.ISBN1-85310-053-6.
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