Düsseldorf Airport facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Düsseldorf Airport Flughafen Düsseldorf
IATA: DUS ICAO: EDDL
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner/Operator	Flughafen Düsseldorf GmbH
Serves	Rhine-Ruhr
Location	Düsseldorf-Lohausen
Hub for	Eurowings
Focus city for	Condor Corendon Airlines SunExpress TUI fly Deutschland
Elevation AMSL	44.8 m / 147 ft
Coordinates	51°17′22″N 006°46′00″E / 51.28944°N 6.76667°E / 51.28944; 6.76667
Website	dus.com
Map
DUS Location in North Rhine-Westphalia Show map of North Rhine-Westphalia DUS Location in Germany Show map of Germany DUS Location in Europe Show map of Europe
Runway
Runway Length Surface m ft 05R/23L 3,000 9,843 Concrete 05L/23R 2,700 8,859 Concrete
Statistics (2022)
Passengers 16,071,936 Aircraft movements 140,598 Cargo (metric tons) 23,707
Sources: Flughafenverband ADV, AIP at German air traffic control.

Düsseldorf Airport is a big international airport in Düsseldorf, Germany. It's the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The airport is about 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) north of downtown Düsseldorf. It's also about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) southwest of Essen. This area is called the Rhine-Ruhr region. It is Germany's largest group of cities.

Düsseldorf Airport is the fourth busiest airport in Germany. In 2021, almost 8 million passengers used it. It's a main base, or airline hub, for Eurowings. It's also an important airport for other airlines. The airport has three passenger terminals and two runways. It can handle very large planes, like the Airbus A380.

About Düsseldorf Airport

How the Airport is Used

Düsseldorf Airport is the main airport for the Rhine-Ruhr area. This is the largest group of cities in Germany. The airport is in Düsseldorf-Lohausen. Big business cities like Düsseldorf and Essen are nearby. Other cities like Duisburg and Krefeld are also close.

The airport covers a small area for its size, about 6.13 square kilometers (2.37 sq mi). This makes it known as an airport where everything is close by. More than 18,200 people work at the airport. In 2022, about 16 million passengers used the airport. This made it the fourth busiest in Germany. It was behind Frankfurt Airport, Munich Airport, and Berlin Brandenburg Airport.

Who Owns the Airport?

The city of Düsseldorf owns half of the airport. The other half is owned by different companies. One of these is Aer Rianta International, which is owned by the Irish Government. So, Düsseldorf Airport is a partnership between the city and private companies.

• 50% is owned by the city of Düsseldorf.
• 50% is owned by Airport Partners GmbH.

History of the Airport

Starting Years

An Alitalia Caravelle at Düsseldorf Airport in 1973

The airport we see today first opened on April 19, 1927. It took two years to build. In 1929, the first international flight started. It connected Brussels, Antwerp, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg.

During World War II, the airport was used by the military. It stopped being used for regular flights in September 1939. After the war, it reopened for civilian flights in 1948. The first international flights after the war were to London.

Since 1950, a company owned by the state has managed the airport. On April 1, 1955, Lufthansa started flights from Düsseldorf. These flights went to Frankfurt am Main and Munich. In 1959, the first jet aircraft landed at Düsseldorf. By 1961, over 1 million passengers had used the airport. Also in 1961, LTU International moved its main base here.

In 1969, the main runway was made longer. A new second terminal was also being built. This new Terminal 2 opened in April 1973. It is now called Terminal B. Terminal A opened in 1977. The last part, Terminal C, opened in 1986.

The 1996 Fire

Reconstruction happening in 1999 after the Düsseldorf Airport fire

On April 11, 1996, a large fire broke out at Düsseldorf Airport. It was a very serious fire for an airport building. The fire caused a lot of damage to the passenger areas. This led to a major reconstruction effort for Terminals A and B. While repairs were happening, passengers used large tents.

In November 1997, Terminal C was updated. In 1997, work also began on a new train station for the airport. In 1998, the rebuilt Terminal A reopened. The airport also changed its name to "Düsseldorf International." Reconstruction of the central building and Terminal B started in the same year.

New Developments Since 2000

Several LTU Airbus A330-300s at their Düsseldorf base in 2003

In 1998, a big project called "Airport 2000+" began. The first step was building an underground parking garage.

The new Düsseldorf Airport station opened in May 2000. It can handle 300 trains each day. That year, 16 million passengers used the airport. Düsseldorf became the third-biggest airport in Germany. The new departure hall and Terminal B opened in July 2001.

In 2002, a special monorail called the SkyTrain started running. It connects the terminal building to the main train station. It also links the different terminals. The SkyTrain travels 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) at up to 50 km/h (31 mph).

On November 12, 2006, the first Airbus A380 landed at Düsseldorf. In March 2013, the airport changed its official name. It dropped "International" from its name.

In January 2015, Emirates announced it would use the Airbus A380 for flights from Dubai to Düsseldorf. By May 2015, the airport had new facilities ready for the A380. This included a special parking spot with three jet bridges.

In June 2015, Lufthansa decided to close its long-haul base at Düsseldorf. This meant some long flights from Düsseldorf would stop. Other airlines like Condor and Eurowings later started some of these routes. In February 2018, Eurowings moved its long-haul flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Düsseldorf. This helped them grow at Düsseldorf.

In March 2018, Lufthansa announced it would close its base at Düsseldorf Airport. The last long-haul flight to Newark was taken over by Eurowings. In November 2018, Ryanair also closed its base in Düsseldorf. Their flights were taken over by Lauda.

In August 2020, Delta Air Lines stopped its flight to Atlanta because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It started again in May 2023, but only during the summer. In September 2020, Singapore Airlines permanently stopped its flight to Singapore.

Airport Buildings and Areas

Terminals

The terminal buildings

The main check-in hall

Düsseldorf Airport has three terminals. They are connected by a central area. The terminals are like different parts of one big building. These buildings can handle up to 22 million passengers each year.

Terminal A

Terminal A opened in 1977. It has 16 gates (A01–A16). Lufthansa and Eurowings use these gates. Other airlines that are partners with them also use Terminal A. It has two Lufthansa lounges. Terminal A was rebuilt after the 1996 fire.

Terminal B

Terminal B first opened in 1973. It has 11 gates (B01–B11). These gates are used for flights within Germany and the European Union. Airlines like Air France, British Airways, and KLM use this terminal. Leisure airlines like TUIfly and Condor are also here. Terminal B has a place to watch planes and a lounge. This terminal was completely rebuilt after the 1996 fire and reopened in 2001.

Terminal C

Terminal C opened in 1986. It has 8 gates (C01–C08). These gates are only for flights outside the Schengen Area. This means they are often long-haul flights. Airlines like Emirates and Etihad Airways use Terminal C. It connects directly to the Maritim Hotel. Terminal C has lounges run by the airport and Emirates. This terminal has the airport's only parking spot with three jet bridges for the Airbus A380.

Executive Terminal

Jet Aviation runs a small terminal just for private and business planes.

Runways and Parking Areas

Düsseldorf has two runways. One is 3,000 meters (9,843 feet) long. The other is 2,700 meters (8,859 feet) long. There are plans to make the 3,000-meter runway longer, to 3,600 meters (11,811 feet). However, a nearby town called Ratingen has stopped this plan. The airport has 107 spots for planes to park.

Airport City

Since 2003, an area next to the airport terminal has been developed into Düsseldorf Airport City. This area is about 23 hectares (57 acres). It will have many offices and buildings. Companies like Siemens and Porsche have offices here. There are also hotels like the Maritim Hotel and a Sheraton Hotel. The Messe Düsseldorf exhibition center is also very close.

Airlines and Destinations

The following airlines offer regular flights from Düsseldorf Airport:

Airport Facts and Figures

Apron overview

Control tower

Passengers and Cargo

Here are some numbers showing how many passengers and how much cargo passed through Düsseldorf Airport over the years.

	Passengers	Movements	Freight (in t)
2000	16.03 million	194,016	59,361
2001	15.40 million	193,514	51,441
2002	14.75 million	190,300	46,085
2003	14.30 million	186,159	48,419
2004	15.26 million	200,584	86,267
2005	15.51 million	200,619	88,058
2006	16.59 million	215,481	97,000
2007	17.83 million	227,899	89,281
2008	18.15 million	228,531	90,100
2009	17.79 million	214,024	76,916
2010	18.98 million	215,540	87,995
2011	20.39 million	221,668	81,521
2012	20.80 million	210,298	86,820
2013	21.23 million	210,828	110,814
2014	21.85 million	210,732	114,180
2015	22.48 million	210,208	90,862
2016	23.52 million	217,575	93,689
2017	24.62 million	221,635	102,107
2018	24.28 million	218,820	75,030
2019	25.51 million	-	-
2020
2021
2022	16.07 million	140,598	23,707
Source: ADV German Airports Association

Busiest Routes

Here are the busiest flight routes to and from Düsseldorf Airport in 2018.

Source: Düsseldorf Airport

Largest Airlines

These are the airlines that carried the most passengers at Düsseldorf Airport in 2018.

Source: Düsseldorf Airport

Getting To and From the Airport

Monorail Sky Train

Düsseldorf Airport station

By Train

Düsseldorf Airport has two train stations.

• The S-Bahn station, called Düsseldorf Airport Terminal station, is right under the terminal. It's served by the S11 suburban train line.
• The main station is 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) from the terminal. It's used by all other types of trains, including fast ICE trains. A special suspended monorail called SkyTrain connects this station to the airport terminals and parking areas.

By Road

You can reach the airport using its own section of the A44 motorway. This motorway connects to others like the A52 and A3. There are also local bus lines that connect the airport to nearby areas and Düsseldorf city center.

Other Airport Features

• Düsseldorf Airport used to have the main training facilities for Air Berlin's technical staff. It was also one of their maintenance bases.
• When LTU International was an airline, its main office was at Düsseldorf Airport.
• The main office for Blue Wings was also located in Terminal A at the airport.

Airport Incidents

There have been a few incidents involving aircraft at or near Düsseldorf Airport over the years.

• On December 22, 1955, a Manx Airlines plane crashed while trying to land in low clouds.
• On November 3, 1957, a Karl Herfurtner Düsseldorf plane crashed into a neighborhood after taking off.

See also

In Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Düsseldorf para niños

• Transport in Germany
• Weeze Airport is another airport about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Düsseldorf. Some low-cost airlines sometimes call it "Düsseldorf-Weeze" or "Weeze (Düsseldorf)". A German court decided that calling it "Düsseldorf" could confuse passengers. However, some airlines still use that name in ads outside Germany.