Leipzig/Halle Airport Flughafen Leipzig/Halle | |||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | Mitteldeutsche Airport Holding AG | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Flughafen Leipzig/Halle GmbH | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | |||||||||||||||
| Location | Schkeuditz,Saxony,Germany | ||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1927; 99 years ago (1927) | ||||||||||||||
| Hub for | |||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 470 ft / 143 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 51°25′26″N012°14′11″E / 51.42389°N 12.23639°E /51.42389; 12.23639 | ||||||||||||||
| Website | mdf-ag.com | ||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||
  LEJ/EDDP Location of airport in Saxony | |||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2024) | |||||||||||||||
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| Sources: Statistics at ADV.,[4] AIP atGerman air traffic control,[5] Eurostat.[6] | |||||||||||||||
Leipzig/Halle Airport (IATA:LEJ,ICAO:EDDP) is aninternational airport located inSchkeuditz,Saxony,Germany, and serves bothLeipzig, Saxony, andHalle,Saxony-Anhalt. It is astate-owned enterprise and allows 24 hour take off and landing for cargo flights. It is notable for having the highest number of freight-only movements (arrivals and departures) in the entirety of theEuropean Union.
In terms of cargo traffic, as of 2024 the airport was the second-busiest in Germany afterFrankfurt Airport, and the fourth-busiest in Europe, having handled 1,383,319 metric tonnes of cargo. It isGermany's 12th largest airport by passengers and handled more than 2.19 million passengers in 2024 mainly with flights to European leisure destinations. The airport serves as the main European hub forDHL Aviation and the main hub forAeroLogic. This coincides with a notably higher number of pure freight flights despite a lower number of total freight mass than other airports, pointing at a combination of less cargo carried on passenger flights and smaller cargo flights. Military installations have also been built at the airport forNATO and EU military aircraft.[7]
The airport was built new from the ground up at a location between Halle and Leipzig from 1926 and opened in 1927.[8]
The airport structures were expanded in the 1930s, including a restaurant. A new terminal was added in 1936/1937, built in the then-widespreadNazi style. At the beginning ofWorld War II, the airport was the fourthin the country for commercial traffic, with more than 40 takeoffs per day. This ended competely during the war, as the airport was entirely taken by theLuftwaffe and used only for military purposes. On April 16, 1944, it was bombed and mostly destroyed by Allied planes.[8]
During the early years of theGerman Democratic Republic, the airport was rebuilt though used exclusively as an industrial airport. In 1957-1960 a new, 2500 m-long runway was added as part of plans of commercial air traffic in the country, but traffic in Leipzig remained scarce. Starting from 1963, twice a year the airport was used as the seat of theLeipzig Trade Fair, with regular service from the state's flag carrierInterflug; the structures, however, were dismantled after the fair's end, and only in 1968 a more modern terminal was built. In 1972, for the first time, the airport operated for the whole year.[8]
On 18 March 1986,Air France flew aConcorde to the airport, to coincide with the Leipzig Trade Fair. Two days laterBritish Airways also flew a Concorde to Leipzig/Halle.[citation needed] In the following years, both airlines operated Concorde flights from Paris and London when the trade fair was held in Leipzig. By 1988, traffic had doubled from 1972, reaching some 550,000 passengers per year. The terminal was enlarged including a new immigration hall, completed in 1984. The following year the departure hall was also upgraded.[8]
In 1991, after theUnification of Germany, the current Terminal A was modernized. In 1992 for the first time year's passengers reached 1,000,000. Works for a new Terminal B were completed in 1996,[9] and a new 3,500 m-long runway was added starting from 1998, being completed by 2003. A new control tower was inaugurated in 2000.[8]
Despite its name, the airport is located in the town of Schkeuditz,Nordsachsen. A deal between the city of Leipzig and theLandkreis Delitzsch led to a land exchange. In 2007, Leipzig received land outside the airport while ownership of the airport land was transferred to Delitzsch. The District of Delitzsch, which by now has merged to become part of Landkreis Nordsachsen, owns and claims taxes from the grounds and commercial interest from the airport.[citation needed]
In early 2008,DHL Aviation moved its European hub fromBrussels Airport to Leipzig/Halle, leading to a significant increase in cargo traffic at the airport. Leipzig bid to host the 2012Olympic Games and the airport was modernised as a result, even though London was eventually awarded the games.[citation needed]
In spring 2013,Ryanair announced the start of operations to Leipzig/Halle on six routes. However, one year later all of them except the flights toLondon–Stansted were terminated.[10] In February 2015,Etihad Regional announced the immediate termination of all their Leipzig/Halle operations which had started only two years earlier, due to changes to their operational concept. All three routes were shut down while two newly announced ones did not start.[11]
In September 2016,Pakistan International Airlines announced plans to replace Manchester on theirIslamabad -Manchester -New York City route with Leipzig/Halle in 2017 to lower operational costs and save time. As the airline holdsFifth Freedom rights, this would have been Leipzig/Halle's first passenger service to theUnited States.[12] In October 2017, the airline announced it would end all routes to theUnited States, so plans to use Leipzig as a layover toNew York-JFK never came to be.[13]
In October 2016,DHL inaugurated a major expansion to its freight facilities at the airport. Two newcargo terminals increased handling capacity by 50 percent.[14]
As of April 2018, the largest passenger airline at Leipzig/Halle Airport measured by weekly departures isCondor with 55 outgoing flights per week. For this purpose, threeAirbus A321 aircraft are stationed at the airport. The second-largest airline wasSmall Planet Airlines (Germany) with 18 outgoing flights per week. The airline stationed anAirbus A320 aircraft to serve several leisure destinations forTUI Group.[15] It was followed bySunExpress Deutschland which operated 15 weekly departures and stationed for this aBoeing 737 aircraft at the airport.[16][17]
In August 2018,DHL announced further expansion of its facilities at the airport. Beside an enlargement of the apron, a new pilot training center was also planned. The number of employees was to increase from 5700 to 6000.[18] At the same time,EAT Leipzig announced that they would add five usedAirbus A330 freighters to their fleet, for a total of 36 aircraft.[19] Also in August 2018, the RussianVolga-Dnepr Group announced plans to launch a new German freight subsidiary based at the airport.[20][21] As of 2021, there were up to 170 nighttime take offs and landings for cargo operations.[22]
In 2018, the airport holding andDHL extended an agreement for the latter to maintain a freight hub in Leipzig/Halle until at least 2019.[23]
In October 2024,Ryanair announced the termination of all routes at three German airports including Leipzig/Halle, citing high operational costs.[24] In October 2025,Condor announced the closure of its base at the airport with immediate effect, handing over a downsized network to sister carrierMarabu.[25][26]
The modern airport terminal structure extends over the adjacent motorway and railway. It integrates the main car park as well as the check-in-facilities and is connected to a pier equipped with sixjet bridges as well as several apron stands. Due to its compact design, it provides short walking distances. The airport terminal has immigration facilities for international flights but no international transfer area.
The airport has two runways. Terminal access is south of the railway. Runway 08L/26R runs parallel to the road north of the railway, requiring aircraft to taxi on a bridge over the tracks and roads.
The following airlines offer regular scheduled and charter flights at Leipzig/Halle Airport:[27]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Cairo[28][29] | Hurghada[30] |
| AJet | Seasonal:Bodrum (begins 27 June 2026)[31] |
| Austrian Airlines | Vienna[32] |
| Corendon Airlines | Antalya[33] Seasonal:Hurghada[34] |
| Electra Airways | Seasonal:Burgas,Varna[35][36][37] |
| Eurowings | Palma de Mallorca[38] |
| Freebird Airlines[39] | Seasonal:Antalya[40] Seasonal charter:Burgas,Fuerteventura |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt[41] |
| Marabu[25][26] | Seasonal:Fuerteventura,[25]Funchal,[25]Gran Canaria,[25]Heraklion,[25]Palma de Mallorca,[25]Tenerife–South[25] |
| Nouvelair | Seasonal:Monastir[42] |
| Pegasus Airlines | Antalya |
| SunExpress | Antalya[43] |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul[44] |
Some US airlines have flown to Leipzig/Halle on behalf of theUS Department of Defense, to bringUS Army troops and US Marines toAfghanistan andIraq. Leipzig/Halle is used as atechnical stop for refueling on these flights.[52] They do not appear at any official timetable. Marines and soldiers flown via Leipzig/Halle are listed as transit passengers in its traffic statistics. Military charter flights are also operated via Leipzig/Halle, e. g. on behalf of theNATO.[7]
| Passengers | Movements | Freight (int) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 274,878 | 9,549 | 366 | |
| 1991 |  634,424 | 26,089 | 4,372 | |
| 1992 | 1,073,378 | 42,960 | 8,611 | |
| 1993 | 1,521,436 | 48,510 | 17,482 | |
| 1994 | 1,901,797 | 52,590 | 23,189 | |
| 1995 | 2,104,822 | 53,807 | 25,225 | |
| 1996 | 2,186,649 |  50,298 | 22,410 | |
| 1997 | 2,248,852 | 47,284 | 17,220 | |
| 1998 | 2,108,779 | 43,778 | 12,866 | |
| 1999 | 2,162,769 | 47,944 | 15,220 | |
| 2000 | 2,288,931 | 47,030 | 17,086 | |
| 2001 | 2,185,130 | 42,408 | 15,799 | |
| 2002 | 1,988,854 | 41,209 | 16,882 | |
| 2003 | 1,955,070 | 40,303 | 17.559 | |
| 2004 | 2,041,046 | 39,316 | 12,575 | |
| 2005 | 2,127,895 | 37,905 | 15,641 | |
| 2006 | 2,348,011 | 42,417 | 29,330 | |
| 2007 | 2,723,000 | 50,972 | 101,364 | |
| 2008 | 2,462,256 | 59,924 | 442,453 | |
| 2009 | 2,421,382 | 60,150 | 524,082 | |
| 2010 | 2,348,597 | 62,247 | 663,024 | |
| 2011 | 2,266,743 | 64,097 | 760,344 | |
| 2012 | 2,286,151 | 62,688 | 863,665 | |
| 2013 | 2,240,860 | 61,668 | 887,101 | |
| 2014 | 2,331,399 | 63,569 | 910,708 | |
| 2015 | 2,321,975 | 65,061 | 988,240 | |
| 2016[53] | 2,192,145 | 64,492 | 1,052,372 | |
| 2017[54] | 2,365,141 | 69,815 | 1,138,477 | |
| 2018[55] | 2,571,119 | 79,218 | 1,221,429 | |
| 2019[56] | 2,618,772 | 78,980 | 1,238,343 | |
| 2020[57] | 530,221 | 64,483 | 1,383,485 | |
| 2021[58] | 667,784 | 76,104 | 1,591,618 | |
| 2022 | 1,558,602 | 80,902 | 1,510,575 | |
| 2023 | 2,101,425 | 80,536 | 1,393,747 | |
| 2024[59] | 2,200,981 | 76,827 | 1,383,319 | |
| Source: Leipzig/Halle Airport Traffic statistics[60] | ||||
Leipzig/Halle Airport railway station is located directly under the passenger terminal and hasIntercity connections on theDresden-Magdeburg-Hanover-Cologne route. Two lines of theS-Bahn Mitteldeutschland connect directly to Leipzig and Halle, and onwards toAltenburg andZwickau with connections to most parts ofCentral Germany.
The airport is connected to two motorways: theA14 connecting toDresden (130 km),Halle (20 km) andMagdeburg (130 km), and theA9 connecting toMunich (430 km),Nuremberg (280 km), andBerlin (180 km).
Flixbus connects in both directions twice per day toDresden,Göttingen, andKassel and once per day toDortmund andCologne.
The airport's facilities have been featured in major films and TV shows during recent years:
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The airport is owned by the Mitteldeutsche Flughafen Holding AG, astate-owned enterprise. According to public records for 2005 to 2014, itsoperating losses totalled almost 570 million € and from 2000 to 2020 they were 800 million €.[22] The main reason for the losses have been take-off andlanding fees, which do not coveroperating costs. DHL has been profiting from these low prices; its particular subsidy DHL-Hub Leipzig GmbH does not publish its own figures, but as part of theDHL Express division, it has been making profits for many years, with 2.04 billion in 2019 alone.[22]
Residents in theSaale district have been complaining about thenoise pollution for years and have been asking to adapt start and landing fees, pricing up night flights.[65][66]
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Media related toLeipzig/Halle Airport at Wikimedia Commons
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