Wikipedia

Hahn Airport

(Redirected from Frankfurt–Hahn Airport)

Hahn Airport[1] (German: Flughafen Hahn) (IATA: HHN, ICAO: EDFH) is an international airport in the municipality of Hahn, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Hahn Airport[1]
Flughafen Hahn
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerTriwo Travvex Group (82.5% )
State of Hesse (17.5%)
OperatorFlughafen Hahn GmbH
ServesFrankfurt Rhine-Main
LocationLautzenhausen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Opened30 September 1993; 32 years ago (1993-09-30)
Operating base forRyanair
Elevation AMSL503 m / 1,649 ft
Coordinates49°56′54″N 007°15′51″E / 49.94833°N 7.26417°E / 49.94833; 7.26417
Websitewww.hahn-airport.de
Map
HHN/EDFH is located in Rhineland-Palatinate
HHN/EDFH
HHN/EDFH
Location of airport in Rhineland-Palatinate
HHN/EDFH is located in Germany
HHN/EDFH
HHN/EDFH
HHN/EDFH (Germany)
HHN/EDFH is located in Europe
HHN/EDFH
HHN/EDFH
HHN/EDFH (Europe)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
03/21 3,800 12,467 Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
Passengers1,377,087 Increase+103,5%
Aircraft movements15,965 Increase+27,2%
Cargo (metric tons)220,836 Decrease-14,7%
Statistics at ADV.,[2]
AIP at German air traffic control.[3]

At the request of Ryanair, the major operator of flights to/from the airport, the airport was named Frankfurt-Hahn Airport from 2001 until its acquisition by Triwo Travvex Group in 2023, when the name was changed back to Hahn Airport. However, according to the German air navigation services provider Deutsche Flugsicherung, its official English name is still Frankfurt-Hahn Airport.[4]

The airport is 10 km (6.2 mi) from the town of Kirchberg and 20 km (12 mi) from both Simmern and Traben-Trarbach. The airport is equidistant between Frankfurt and Luxembourg – about 120 km (75 mi) to each city by road. The closest major cities are Koblenz at about 70 km (43 mi) and Mainz at about 90 km (56 mi).

The primary operators of flights to/from the airport are Ryanair and Wizz Air. It is also a prominent cargo airport as a result of its location and 24-hour operating licence.[5]

The airport is 82.5% owned by Triwo Travvex Group and 17.5% owned by the state of Hesse.

History

edit

Military base

edit

During the Cold War, at which time an invasion of West Germany was a possibility, Hahn Air Base was a frontline air base, and home of the United States Air Force 50th Tactical Fighter Wing (now the 50th Space Wing), in various designations, as part of the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE). It was one of several USAFE bases in Germany within 100 kilometres (62 mi) of each other including Zweibrücken Air Base, Ramstein Air Base, Sembach, Bitburg Air Base, Spangdahlem Air Base, and Rhein-Main Air Base. These air bases were well situated to reach all locations within Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. Hahn Air Base had more than 13,000 people and three squadrons of F-16 tactical fighters.[citation needed] At the end of the Cold War, the United States was left with a huge excess capacity of expensive airfields in Europe.

As a result, the squadrons at the base were inactivated: the 496th Tactical Fighter Squadron was inactivated on 15 May 1991, the 313th Tactical Fighter Squadron was inactivated on 1 July 1991, and the 10th Tactical Fighter Squadron was inactivated on 30 September 1991. The 50th Tactical Fighter Wing was inactivated on 30 September 1991 and then activated as the 50th Space Wing at Falcon AFB (now Schriever Air Force Base) in Colorado on 30 January 1992. The inactivations had a significant effect on the local economy.[6]

Most of Hahn Air Base was turned over to German civil authorities on 30 September 1993, though USAFE retained a small portion as a radio communications site until its final turnover to German authorities in 2012. It is still frequently used for military charters operated by, amongst others, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines.

The German government turned Hahn Air Base into a civil airport with the goal of reducing traffic to Frankfurt Airport, which is located in the neighbouring state of Hesse. One of the main investors in the development of the airport was Fraport AG, the operator of Frankfurt International Airport, which took a 65% ownership stake in the airport.[citation needed]

In 1996, the faculty and police training school of the Rheinland-Pfalz State Police were combined at a new joint facility located at the air base's former housing area.[citation needed]

Losses and ownership transfers

edit

In 2003, the airport reported a loss of €17 million, compared to €20 million in 2002.[7]

In 2007, Etihad Cargo switched its German freighter services from Frankfurt International airport to Frankfurt-Hahn airport.[8]

Effective 1 January 2009, Fraport sold its 65% interest in the airport to the government of Rhineland-Palatinate for the symbolic price of €1. The airport had been losing money and Fraport did not want to continue to fund losses. The transaction increased the stake owned by the government to 82.5%.[9]

Also in 2009, a cargo flight departing from Hahn using the Antonov 225 made the world record for the heaviest single piece of air cargo, a 189.98 tonne generator for a Fossil-fuel power station in Armenia.[10]

In 2013, Etihad Cargo, a major customer of the airport, announced the relocation of its cargo operations from Hahn to Frankfurt Airport.[11]

By January 2014, the airport had accumulated debts of €125 million while passenger and cargo traffic were decreasing. The government pledged €80 million to the airport to avoid bankruptcy.[12]

In February 2014, security staff at the airport initiated a strike action.[13]

In the summer of 2014, Ryanair reduced capacity on several routes and removed 3 of 9 aircraft based at the airport.[14]

In March 2015, Yangtze River Express, the largest freight customer of the airport with 4 cargo destinations and accounting for 50,000 of the airport's 130,000 tons of annual volume, announced it would cease its cargo operations at Frankfurt–Hahn Airport in favor of Munich Airport.[15] Months earlier, Qatar Airways and Aeroflot had also ceased their cargo operations at the airport.[16]

In June 2016, the cargo subsidiary of Air France–KLM announced it would shut down its cargo reloading point at the airport, which was used to collect freight and transfer it to Paris by truck.[17]

Also in June 2016, the government of Rhineland-Palatinate announced the sale of its 82.5% interest in the airport to Shanghai Yiqian Trading Company.[18] However, the deal fell apart a month later after the buyer failed to get approval to make the payment.[19]

In August 2016, RAF-Avia from Latvia announced basing two aircraft at the airport to operate ad-hoc charter flights.[20]

In 2017, Suparna, formerly known as Yangtze River Express, began operating a 747-400F at the airport and AirBridgeCargo and Etihad also expanded cargo operations.[21]

In August 2017, HNA Group acquired the 82.5% stake in the airport owned by the government of Rhineland-Palatinate for €15.1 million.[22][23] In conjunction with the acquisition, the European Commission agreed to cover up to €25.3 million of losses between 2017 and 2021 while HNA makes improvements to the airport.[24]

In February 2018, Ryanair announced the shift of part of its operations from Hahn to Frankfurt Airport, where it opened a base in 2017. One of five aircraft were moved to Frankfurt Airport and four routes were cut at Frankfurt-Hahn.[25]

In May 2019, Ryanair announced further major cuts with a reduction to just 16 routes — from over 40 in earlier years — for the 2019/2020 winter season.[26]

The airport filed for bankruptcy in October 2021.[27][28]

In May 2023, after a sale to SWIFT CONJOY fell through,[29] and a €20 million bid by Russian oligarch Viktor Kharitonin was scrutinized by the German government, the airport was sold to TRIWO Hahn Airport GmbH, an affiliate of Triwo AG, which agreed to invest €20 million in the site.[30][31][32]

Infrastructure

edit

Terminals

edit

The airport consists of two passenger terminals and one cargo terminal. The passenger terminals, designated A and B, include shops and restaurants including a McDonald's.[33] The apron has 11 stands for mid-sized aircraft, such as the Boeing 737, which are reached on foot. The cargo apron has three stands for large aircraft such as the Boeing 747-8F.

Runway

edit

Frankfurt–Hahn has a long runway of 3,800 metres (12,467 ft) in the direction of 03/21. This, combined with a large apron, allows it to handle some of the world's biggest aircraft, such as the Antonov An-124 or the Boeing Dreamlifter. While the Antonov is a frequent visitor, the Dreamlifter has only landed twice at the airport, both times in 2010. An Instrument Landing System is available, with runway 21 being category 3 approved; low-visibility conditions are a frequent problem at the airport, especially in autumn and winter.

Airlines and destinations

edit

Passenger

edit

Cargo

edit
AirlinesDestinations
Aerotranscargo[63][64] Baku, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, Riyadh
Atlas Air[65] Halifax, Mumbai, Riyadh
Silk Way West Airlines[66] Baku, Vienna
Suparna Airlines[67][68] Wuxi, Xi'an

The airport is also used by further cargo carriers on an irregular basis, e. g. for ad-hoc charter or military operations.[69]

Statistics

edit
Check-in area
Apron in front of the passenger terminal
Control tower
Overview of the cargo apron
Passengers[70][71]
2004 2,751,585
2005 Increase 3,076,823
2006 Increase 3,704,633
2007 Increase 4,014,898
2008 Decrease 3,940,159
2009 Decrease 3,793,710
2010 Decrease 3,493,451
2011 Decrease 2,894,109
2012 Decrease 2,790,961
2013 Decrease 2,667,402
2014 Decrease 2,447,140
2015 Increase 2,667,000
2016 Decrease 2,609,156
2017 Decrease 2,472,198
2018 Decrease 2,092,868
2019[72] Decrease 1,496,362
2020[73] Decrease 436,862
2021[74] Increase 678,829
2022[2] Increase 1,377,087
2023[75] Increase 1,673,219
2024[76] Increase 1,865,112

The airport had a turnover of 156,000 tons of cargo in 2019.[72]

Ground transportation

edit

Bus

edit

As of September 2023, the airport can be reached with the following long-distance bus and regional lines provided by Intermezzo, Flibco and FlixBus.[77]

Rail

edit

The airport has no railway station. The nearest train station is in Traben-Trarbach, the terminus of the Pünderich–Traben-Trarbach railway. The nearest long-distance railway stations are Bullay (on the Koblenz–Trier railway), and Idar-Oberstein (on the Mainz–Bad Kreuznach–Saarbrücken line.) Frequent buses also run to the main railway station of nearby cities.

Car

edit

The nearest Autobahn connections are approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) to the west (A1) or east (A 61). Parking and car rental are available at the airport.

edit

Name controversy

edit

In 2001, Ryanair began flying to the airport, using it as a second base for its European operations.[78] At the request of Ryanair, the name of the airport was officially changed from Hahn Airport to Frankfurt–Hahn Airport. Lufthansa began legal proceedings against Ryanair in 2002, claiming the usage of "Frankfurt" in the name to be false advertising. Ryanair was allowed to keep the name but was forced to clarify in its advertising that the airport is actually 120 kilometers (75 miles) by road from Frankfurt.[79] In March 2023, the new owners, Triwo, changed the name back to "Hahn Airport".[80]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. 1 2 "Hahn Airport". Hahn Airport.
  2. 1 2 "ADV Monthly Traffic Report" (PDF; 919 KB). adv.aero (in German). Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Verkehrsflughäfen e.V. 13 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  3. ↑ "AIP VFR online". dfs.de. DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  4. ↑ "Index to aerodromes and heliports". AIP IFR Germany. Langen: DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH. p. AD 1.3-1. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  5. ↑ Li, Sandy (6 March 2017). "HNA to buy majority stake in Hahn airport in Germany – If deal goes ahead, it will help take the owner of Hainan Airlines take a step closer to becoming one of the world's top 100 companies". South China Morning Post.
  6. ↑ Siegert, Alice (2 July 1992). "Cold War's End Chills Small German Towns". Chicago Tribune.
  7. ↑ Creaton, Siobhan (26 March 2004). "Ryanair flies to rescue of Frankfurt-Hahn airport". The Irish Times.
  8. ↑ "Etihad Crystal Cargo Switches to Frankfurt-Hahn" (Press release). Frankfurt–Hahn Airport. 27 April 2007.
  9. ↑ Barnard, Bruce (3 February 2009). "Fraport Sells Germany's Hahn Airport". The Journal of Commerce. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  10. ↑ "World record set by Frankfurt-Hahn Airport". Heavy Lift. 14 August 2009.
  11. ↑ "Etihad Cargo verlässt Frankfurt-Hahn" [Etihad Cargo departs Frankfurt-Hahn]. airliners.de. 16 January 2013.
  12. ↑ Grunau, Andrea (6 April 2013). "Germany questions use of regional airports". Deutsche Welle.
  13. ↑ Reeg, Caitlan (19 February 2014). "Security Staff Strike at Frankfurt-Hahn Airport". The Wall Street Journal.
  14. ↑ "Ryanair streicht Angebot am Hahn weiter zusammen". airliners.de. 15 January 2014.
  15. ↑ "Größter Frachtkunde am Flughafen Hahn zieht sich zurück". airliners.de.
  16. ↑ "Rheinland-Pfalz will Flughafen Hahn weiterhin verkaufen". airliners.de. 18 March 2015.
  17. ↑ "Air France KLM Cargo Verlaesst Hahn". aero.de (in German). 4 July 2016.
  18. ↑ Maushagen, Peter (6 June 2016). "Chinese buy Germany's Hahn airport for tourists, freight". Reuters.
  19. ↑ Bellon, Tina (6 July 2016). "Sale of Germany's Hahn airport to Chinese firm close to collapse". Reuters.
  20. ↑ "RAF Avia adds freighter to Hahn operation". Air Cargo News. 2 September 2016.
  21. ↑ Lennane, Alex (5 September 2017). "Frankfurt-Hahn gets back on track with new services". The Load Star.
  22. ↑ Weinland, Don (10 August 2017). "HNA buys German airport despite pressure on debt". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022.
  23. ↑ Taylor, Ian (10 August 2017). "China's HNA takes over Frankfurt Hahn". Travel Weekly.
  24. ↑ "State aid: Commission approves public support to Frankfurt-Hahn airport" (Press release). European Commission. 31 July 2017.
  25. ↑ "Ryanair moves routes from Frankfurt-Hahn to Frankfurt am Main". Aviator. 24 February 2018.
  26. ↑ "Could Frankfurt Hahn airport make a comeback as it is sold again?". Centre for Aviation. 20 February 2023.
  27. ↑ "Ryanair hub Frankfurt-Hahn Airport files for bankruptcy". Deutsche Welle. 19 October 2021.
  28. ↑ Szymanska, Zuzanna (19 October 2021). Escritt, Thomas (ed.). "German cheap flight hub Frankfurt Hahn files for insolvency". Reuters.
  29. ↑ "Hahn-Käufer zahlt nicht – Insolvenzverwalter prüft "weitere" [Hahn buyer does not pay]. airliners.de (in German). 17 November 2022.
  30. ↑ "Insolvenzverfahren - Trierer Immobilienfirma kauft Flughafen Hahn". Die Nachrichten (in German). 4 April 2023.
  31. ↑ "Endlich Käufer für den Flughafen Hahn gefunden". SWR Aktuell (in German). 4 April 2023.
  32. ↑ "Über uns" [About Us] (in German). Hahn Airport.
  33. ↑ "FrankfurtHahn Airport: Restaurants". Frankfurt–Hahn Airport.
  34. ↑ hahn-airport.de – Destinations retrieved 29 October 2022
  35. ↑ "Air Arabia Maroc starts Nador-Frankfurt (Hahn)". 6 February 2023.
  36. ↑ "Air Serbia Switches to the Summer Schedule". 27 March 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  37. ↑ Schmitz, Oliver (1 April 2025). "Neue Airline am Flughafen Köln/Bonn steuert besonderes Ziel an" (in German). Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  38. 1 2 3 4 Percival, Geoff (21 December 2023). "Ryanair Announces $100m Investment in Frankfurt-Hahn Base". Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  39. 1 2 "Das sind die beliebtesten Ryanair Ziele ab Deutschland" (in German). 29 July 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  40. ↑ "Nach Landung in Frankfurt-Hahn klafft Loch im Flügel". aeroTELEGRAPH (in Swiss High German). 30 January 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  41. 1 2 3 "Gegen den Trend: Ryanair bietet am Hahn mehr Flüge an". SWR Aktuell (in German). 19 October 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  42. ↑ Ziegler, Luisa (25 January 2023). "These are the new Ryanair destinations you can reach from Germany in 2023". Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  43. 1 2 3 4 Wientjes, Bernd (26 March 2026). "Sommerflugplan startet: Diese neuen Ziele werden vom Hahn aus angeboten". Volksfreund (in German). Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  44. ↑ "Kerry Airport announces 2026 spring/summer timetable". 6 March 2026. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  45. ↑ Shaw, Neil (20 December 2024). "Mum has to spend £600 on taxis after Ryanair flight 'to Frankfurt'". Wales Online. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  46. ↑ Schicker, Marco (24 February 2023). "Flughafen Málaga: Neue Ryanair-Verbindungen für Rekordsommer 2023 - 11 deutsche Airports im Angebot" (in German). Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  47. ↑ "Ryanair to open fifth base in Morocco". LARA. 18 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  48. ↑ "Ryanair launching Frankfurt Hahn-Sofia service from late Oct-2024".
  49. 1 2 3 Pawellek, Lena (18 June 2025). "Blitz-Sale bei Ryanair: Flüge ab 18 Euro zu vielen top Destinationen in Europa - nur heute buchbar!". Reisereporter (in German). Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  50. 1 2 "Ryanair wird neue Flüge aus 10 Ländern starten: wo Sie günstig fliegen können" (in German). 21 January 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  51. ↑ "So baut Ryanair zwischen Spanien und Deutschland, Österreich sowie Luxemburg ab". aeroTELEGRAPH (in Swiss High German). 12 September 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  52. ↑ Porcu, Mattia (25 March 2025). "Flughafen Cagliari, hier sind alle Strecken, die im Sommer 2025 bedient werden". Der Flight Club (in German). Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  53. ↑ Wientjes, Bernd (19 May 2026). "Flughafen Hahn: Ryanair streicht Flüge nach Griechenland - die wichtigsten Infos". Volksfreund (in German). Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  54. ↑ "Mehr Ferienflüge ab dem Flughafen Hahn". Fliegerweb (in German). 25 June 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  55. ↑ Porcu, Mattia (17 February 2024). "Summer 2024, Ryanair from Palermo will operate more than 600 flights a week to 41 destinations". The Flight Club. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  56. ↑ Mersmann, Anke (17 June 2025). "Airport Hahn auf Wachstumskurs: Mehr Passagiere, mehr Ziele – und ein Tarifkonflikt - Rheinland-Pfalz - Rhein-Zeitung" (in German). Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  57. ↑ "Ryanair Reshapes Summer 2026 Network in the Former Yugoslavia". Sarajevo Times. 22 December 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  58. 1 2 3 4 Mizzi, Amely (13 February 2025). "Wizz Air launches new routes from Hahn Airport". Aviation Direct. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  59. ↑ "2023 წლის ივნისიდან Wizz Air ქუთაისის აეროპორტიდან 5 ახალი მიმართულებით იფრენს". 13 December 2022.
  60. ↑ Lechner, Christian (27 March 2025). "Hahn Airport summer flight schedule: 46 destinations on offer". Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  61. 1 2 "Expanding route network at Frankfurt-Hahn Airport – Airport World". 24 March 2026. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  62. ↑ "Hahn(HHN) to Varna(VAR)". Fly Team.
  63. ↑ "Home". Aerotranscargo.
  64. ↑ "First Flight to GIG Airport — Brazil". Aerotranscargo (Press release). 23 March 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  65. ↑ "Atlas Air Schedule". Atlas Air. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  66. ↑ silkwaywestairlines.com - Schedule retrieved 21 May 2022
  67. ↑ welt.de - Neue Frachtflüge von China zum Flughafen Hahn (German) 25 June 2018
  68. ↑ aircargonews.net - Suparna adds new B747 Xi’an-Hahn flight 29 August 2017
  69. ↑ hahn-airport.de - Airlines on site retrieved 3 November 2019
  70. ↑ "FrankfurtHahn Airport: Traffic Data". Frankfurt–Hahn Airport.
  71. ↑ "adv.aero" (PDF). Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  72. 1 2 "adv.aero (German) 14 April 2020" (PDF). Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  73. ↑ "ADV-Monatsstatistik - ADV Monthly Traffic Report 12/2020" (PDF; 298 kb). www.adv.aero/. Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Verkehrsflughäfen e.V. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  74. ↑ "ADV-Monatsstatistik - ADV Monthly Traffic Report 12/2021" (PDF; 823 kb). www.adv.aero/. Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Verkehrsflughäfen e.V. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  75. ↑ "ADV Monatsstatistik Dezember 2023" (PDF). ADV.
  76. ↑ "ADV Monatsstatistik Dezember 2024" (PDF). ADV.
  77. ↑ "Getting there - By bus". Hahn Airport.
  78. ↑ Prada, Paulo (22 November 2001). "Ryanair to Use Frankfurt's Hahn Airport As Its Second Base on the Continent". The Wall Street Journal.
  79. ↑ Scally, Derek (20 March 2002). "Court rules Ryanair misled customers". The Irish Times.
  80. ↑ "Triwo schaut positiv in die Zukunft". AERO International (in German). 29 June 2023.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hahn_Airport&oldid=1358412010"