Münster Osnabrück International Airport
Encyclopedia
Münster Osnabrück International Airport or Flughafen Muenster/Osnabrueck , is the 4th largest international commercial airport in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located near Greven, 25 km (15.5 mi) north of Münster (Westfalen) and 35 km (21.7 mi) south of Osnabrück
.
, Emsland
, parts of the Netherlands
(Euregio
) and Westphalia
.
, 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. Originally, work was scheduled to begin in December 2006. However, among others Naturschutzbund Deutschland
has filed a lawsuit against the expansion. On May 2011 the Higher Administrative Court in Münster decided against the expansion because of mistakes made in the "Planfeststellungsverfahren", which descripes the plans of the runway expansion.
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.
The plan to connect the airport with the Bundesautobahn 1 was realized in November 2010.
and by FMO-eXpress shuttle from Osnabrück. The FMO-eXpress takes approximately 40 minutes to get from the airport to the railway station.http://www.fmo.de/download/Busplan_w09.pdfhttp://www.fmo.de/index.php?menu1=7&nid=26
Driving Directions
The airport has roughly 7500 parking spaces spread over multiple car parks, two of which are multi-storey.
, 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
29 October 1984 - British Airways starts to serve Berlin-Münster with DC Super One-Eleven, first scheduled flights with jets at FMO
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
2010 - Opening of the new direct linking to A 1
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
.
Service Area
The airport serves over 6 million people living in the northern Ruhrgebiet (Ruhr Basin), southern Lower SaxonyLower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, Emsland
Emsland
Landkreis Emsland is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany named after the river Ems. It is bounded by the districts of Leer, Cloppenburg and Osnabrück, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia , the district of Bentheim and the Netherlands .- History :For a long time the region of the Emsland was...
, parts of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
(Euregio
EUREGIO
EUREGIO is a cross-border region between the Netherlands and Germany. It was founded in 1958 and is organized as an Eingetragener Verein. Participating communities are in Niedersachsen and Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany and parts of the Dutch provinces Gelderland, Overijssel and Drenthe...
) and Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
.
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 environmentalistsEnvironmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
, 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 €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
60 million. Originally, work was scheduled to begin in December 2006. However, among others Naturschutzbund Deutschland
Naturschutzbund Deutschland
The Naturschutzbund Deutschland or NABU is a German non-governmental organisation dedicated to conservation at home and abroad, including the protection of rivers, forests and individual species of animals.NABU is one of the largest, most well-known, nature conservation groups in Germany and has...
has filed a lawsuit against the expansion. On May 2011 the Higher Administrative Court in Münster decided against the expansion because of mistakes made in the "Planfeststellungsverfahren", which descripes the plans of the runway expansion.
The cities of Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
and Greven
Greven
Greven is a medium-sized town in the district of Steinfurt, in Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia and close to the city of Münster.-Geography:Greven is situated on the river Ems, approx...
and the Steinfurt
Steinfurt (district)
Steinfurt is a Kreis in the northern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Bentheim, Emsland, district-free Osnabrück and the Osnabrück district, Warendorf, district-free Münster, Coesfeld, Borken.-Geography:...
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.
The plan to connect the airport with the Bundesautobahn 1 was realized in November 2010.
Traffic connections
Bus connections (S = Express D = Direct R = Local) from Münster railway stationMünster Hauptbahnhof
-History:The original Münster station was opened in 1848 by the Münster-Hamm Railway Company, when it opened by the Münster–Hamm railway to the then capital of the Prussian Province of Westphalia as a terminus of its branch line from Hamm, where it connected with Cologne-Minden trunk line. The...
and by FMO-eXpress shuttle from Osnabrück. The FMO-eXpress takes approximately 40 minutes to get from the airport to the railway station.http://www.fmo.de/download/Busplan_w09.pdfhttp://www.fmo.de/index.php?menu1=7&nid=26
Driving Directions
- A 1 from Bremen/Osnabrück : Exit 75 Flughafen Münster/Osnabrück (since 2010)
- A 30Bundesautobahn 30is a highway in northwestern Germany. It runs from west to east, starting at the Dutch border. On the border it connects with the Dutch A1 motorway, hence, the A 30 is part of the important European connection Berlin - Amsterdam...
from Amsterdam/Rheine : Exit 11b Ibbenbüren
The airport has roughly 7500 parking spaces spread over multiple car parks, two of which are multi-storey.
History
On 21 December 1966 the cities of MünsterMünster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
, Osnabrück
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
, and Greven
Greven
Greven is a medium-sized town in the district of Steinfurt, in Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia and close to the city of Münster.-Geography:Greven is situated on the river Ems, approx...
as well as the districts
Districts of Germany
The districts of Germany are known as , except in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein where they are known simply as ....
of Münster
Münster (region)
Münster is one of the five Regierungsbezirke of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the north of the state, and named after the city of Münster. It includes the area which in medieval times was known as the Dreingau....
and Tecklenburg
Tecklenburg
Tecklenburg is a town in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:It is located at the foothills of the Teutoburg Forest, southwest of Osnabrück.-Division of the town:...
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
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
received permission to begin construction. An apron
Airport ramp
The airport ramp or apron is part of an airport. It is usually the area where aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded, refueled or boarded. Although the use of the apron is covered by regulations, such as lighting on vehicles, it is typically more accessible to users than the runway or taxiway...
and a 2000 m (2200 yard) long runway were built. The ground leveling was performed by the British Army of the Rhine
British Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.-1919–1929:...
.
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
Palma de Mallorca
Palma is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. The names Ciutat de Mallorca and Ciutat were used before the War of the Spanish Succession and are still used by people in Majorca. However, the official name...
29 October 1984 - British Airways starts to serve Berlin-Münster with DC Super One-Eleven, first scheduled flights with jets at FMO
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
2010 - Opening of the new direct linking to A 1
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 %
Airlines and destinations
External links
- Official site (in German, English and Dutch)