Erfurt–Weimar Airport Flughafen Erfurt–Weimar | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Flughafen Erfurt GmbH | ||||||||||
| Serves | Erfurt andWeimar | ||||||||||
| Location | Erfurt,Germany | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,036 ft / 316 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 50°58′47″N010°57′29″E / 50.97972°N 10.95806°E /50.97972; 10.95806 | ||||||||||
| Website | Flughafen-erfurt-weimar.de | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  EDDE Location of the airport in Thuringia Show map of Thuringia EDDE EDDE (Germany) Show map of Germany EDDE EDDE (Europe) Show map of Europe | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2024) | |||||||||||
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| Source: Statistics, ADV[1], AIP atGerman air traffic control.[2] | |||||||||||
Erfurt–Weimar Airport[3] (German:Flughafen Erfurt–Weimar, formerlyErfurt Airport,IATA:ERF,ICAO:EDDE) servesErfurt, the capital of theGerman state ofThuringia, and the nearby city ofWeimar, both of which form the largest part of the state's central metropolitan area. Theairport is 5 km (3.1 mi) west of Erfurt city center[2] and is mainly used for seasonal charter flights to European leisure destinations.
The first Erfurt airport was built in the mid-1920s at Roter Berg in the north of the city, later also known as Erfurt-North. At the beginning of the Second World War in 1939, this site was taken over by theLuftwaffe, thus ending passenger traffic. With the end of the war in 1945, Erfurt-North was closed, but in 1956, the pre-military organisationGesellschaft für Sport und Technik resumed glider operations here. In 1974, the airfield was finally closed in order to build the residential area Roter Berg on the site.[4]
The foundation for today's Erfurt–Weimar Airport was laid in 1935, when a new air base was built by the Luftwaffe west of Erfurt near Bindersleben. In 1945 the air base was taken over by theRed Army, which stationed an alert unit withMiG-15 fighter planes here in the 1950s. Around 1957 the airfield was handed over to the East German authorities, who extended it and built a 2,000 m-long (6,600 ft) concrete runway. In the following years the airfield was used by theEast German Lufthansa and later byInterflug for domestic flights until these were discontinued in 1980. In addition, there were individual connections to socialist countries, especially to Budapest in Hungary. Erfurt was also a base for Interflug’s agricultural aviation with the Erfurt district squadron stationed here.[5]
After German reunification, Erfurt Airport was further expanded and the runway was extended to 2600 m.
The airport's name was changed fromErfurt Airport in 2011,[6] it was felt that from a marketing point of view the addition ofWeimar to the name would better sell the area due to its historic importance.
Despite its importance as a state capital and its central location within Germany, the airport features no domestic flights. The only route toMunich Airport offered byCirrus Airlines ceased by March 2012.[7] However, the city became one of Germany's most important long distance railway hubs by 2017, when the newly constructedMunich-Berlin high-speed line met the Frankfurt-Dresden line at Erfurt main station. As a result, it is possible to reachFrankfurt,Berlin andMunich within two hours by rail from Erfurt, making domestic flights redundant.[8] After the shutdown ofGermania in early 2019, the airport lost the vast majority of its routes.
The airport consists of one passenger and one business terminal. The passenger terminal features two aircraft parking positions and four boarding gates on two levels, the upper ones are equipped withjet bridges. There are also some shops and restaurants, a visitors terrace as well as travel and rental car agencies inside the terminal.[9] The apron also features several additional bus-boarding stands for mid-sized aircraft such as theBoeing 737.
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Erfurt–Weimar Airport:[10]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Cairo | Seasonal:Hurghada[11] |
| Corendon Airlines | Antalya[12] Seasonal:Heraklion[13] |
| Eurowings | Seasonal:Palma de Mallorca[14] |
| Freebird Airlines | Seasonal:Antalya[15] |
| Mavi Gök Airlines | Seasonal charter:Antalya[16] |
| Nile Air | Seasonal:Hurghada[17] |
| Pegasus Airlines | Seasonal:Antalya[18] |
| SunExpress | Seasonal:Antalya[19] |
| Passengers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 481,573 | |||
| 2001 |  471,624 | |||
| 2002 | 445,504 | |||
| 2003 |  464,681 | |||
| 2004 | 526,241 | |||
| 2005 | 438,912 | |||
| 2006 | 356,378 | |||
| 2007 | 315,759 | |||
| 2008 | 308,228 | |||
| 2009 | 270,267 | |||
| 2010 | 322,073 | |||
| 2011 | 280,913 | |||
| 2012 | 183,999 | |||
| 2013 | 214,948 | |||
| 2014[20] | 226,581 | |||
| 2015 | 230,436 | |||
| 2016 | 235,331 | |||
| 2017 | 282,731 | |||
| 2018 | 262,530 | |||
| 2019 | 156,326 | |||
| 2020 | 27,542 | |||
| 2021 | 71,665 | |||
| 2022 | 137,779 | |||
| 2023 | 134,547 | |||
| 2024 | 169,732 | |||
| Source: ADV German Airports Association[21] | ||||
The airport can be reached via nearbyA71 motorway (Erfurt-Bindersleben exit) which leads from Erfurt toSchweinfurt inBavaria.[22]
Erfurt Tram line No. 4[23] to thesuburb of Bindersleben stops in front of the airport. The trams depart every 10–20 minutes and connect the airport withErfurt's main train station via the city centre in about 20 minutes.[24]
Media related toErfurt Airport at Wikimedia Commons
