Münster Osnabrück International Airport

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Münster-Osnabrück International Airport
Flughafen Münster/Osnabrück
IATA: FMO - ICAO: EDDG
Summary
Airport type public
Operator Flughafen Münster/Osnabrück
Serves Münster
Elevation AMSL 157 ft (48 m)
Coordinates 52°08′10″N, 07°41′09″E
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
07/25 7,119 2,170 Asphalt

The Flughafen Münster/Osnabrück, or Muenster/Osnabrueck Airport (IATA: FMO, ICAO: EDDG), is the 4th largest international commercial airport in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located 25 km from Münster (Westfalen), and 40 km from Osnabrück in the village of Greven.

Contents

[edit] Service Area

The airport serves over 6 million people living in the northern Ruhrgebiet (Ruhr Basin), southern Lower Saxony, Emsland, parts of the Netherlands (Euregio) and Westphalia.

[edit] Expansion plans

The airport is currently working on expanding the runway to 3,600 meters (11,800 ft.). This way, the airport hopes to attract intercontinental flights. The plan was the focus of protests from environmentalists, because the expansion would damage the Eltingmühlenbach natural area. However, the plan was approved in 2004. In the first phase, the runway will be expanded to 3,000 meters (9,850 ft.). This will cost around €60 million. The expansion is expected to be completed in 2008. The cities of Münster and Greven and the Steinfurt district plan to donate an area of around 500 acres (2 km²) to the airport, for airport-related commercial activities. This was met with protests as well, because this plan would come down to an end of the Hüttruper Heide heath. Other plans include connecting the airport with the Bundesautobahn 1.

[edit] Traffic connections

Bus connections (S = Express D = Direct R = Local) from Münster railway station and by FMO-eXpress shuttle from Osnabrück. The FMO-eXpress takes approximately 30 minutes to get from the airport to the railway station.

Driving Directions

  • A 1 from Bremen/Osnabrück : Exit 74 Ladbergen
  • A 1/43 from Dortmund/Münster : Exit 76 Greven
  • A 30 from Amsterdam/Rheine : Exit 11b Ibbenbüren

The airport has roughly 7500 parking spaces spread over multiple car parks, two of which are multi-storey.

[edit] History

On 21 December 1966 the cities of Münster, Osnabrück, and Greven as well as the districts of Münster and Tecklenburg founded the Münster/Osnabrück Airport GmbH.

In mid 1967 the German authorities approached the British Army to see whether assistance could be made building an airfield to serve the Münster-Osnabrück area. As an airstrip existed at Greven but the site, which was heavily wooded, included one badly drained and swampy area and was within a few hundred metres of the Dortmund-Ems Canal which had been bombed during World War Two and where the presence of unexploded bombs were suspected.

By March 1968 agreement had been reached that the British Army would clear and level an area 2120 metres long between 400 and 500 metres wide and produce a base of clean sand 1520 metres long and 50 metres wide, for a runway to be used by aircraft of Trident and BAC 1-11 size.

Work began in April 1968. 16 Field Squadron RE provided the project control and Royal Engineer units from all over BAOR but particularly 43 Field Support Squadron RE provided manpower and plant.

Despite many problems the project was completed on 30 June 1969, within a few days of the planned date.

A trial to establish how effective the German forests were as tanks obstacles was run during the initial phase of the project. It was not often that a forest became available in is way and full opportunity was taken to drive chieftain tanks and APC’s through it .Before clearing the area for the runway.

As a gesture to the British army involvement the Germans gifted a Ka 7 glider to the regiment and gave them honorary membership of the Greven Gliding club.

On 24 September 1968 the state of North Rhine-Westphalia received permission to begin construction. An apron and a 2000 m (2200 yard) long runway were built. The ground leveling was performed by the British Army of the Rhine.

After five years of construction the Münster/Osnabrück airport was officially opened on 27 March 1972.

1973 - First charter flight from Münster/Osnabrück airport to Palma de Mallorca

1986 - Official status as an international airport is granted

1995 - Opening of a new terminal building to handle a larger number of passengers

2002 - Opening of the new Terminal 2 to handle a larger number of passengers

[edit] Ownership

  • Kamer van Koophandel Veluwe Twente 0.0340 %
  • HWK Osnabrück-Emsland 0.0340 %
  • HWK Münster 0.0340 %
  • IHK Osnabrück-Emsland 0.0340 %
  • IHK Nord Westfalen 0.0680 %
  • Landkreis Grafschaft Bentheim 0.4533 %
  • Kreis Coesfeld 0.4533 %
  • Kreis Borken 0.4533 %
  • Kreis Warendorf 2.4501
  • BEVOS mbH, Landkreis Osnabrück 7.1569 %
  • Beteiligungsgesellschaft des Kreises Steinfurt mbH 30.4172 %
  • Grevener Verkehrs GmbH 5.9164 %
  • Stadtwerke Osnabrück AG 17.2761 %
  • Stadtwerke Münster GmbH 35.2195 %

[edit] Airlines and destinations

[edit] Pictures

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Check-In

Waiting area in Terminal I

Taxi waiting area

View from observation deck

[edit] External links